Sweet Serendipity
by Ruby1235
Summary: With the annual Nara Clan Party coming up, a run-in with Sakura leads Shikamaru to choosing her to attend the party with him... as his date. The next two months of preparing will be full of Sakura's mischief and Shikamaru's laziness, and how well the two mix together. On top of it all, Sakura has a few secrets and problems in her life that'll be thrown in the mix. SAKUXSHIKA
1. In His Spot

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is the first chapter of my new story! I did a poll on a new story idea to work on, and I picked this one for a couple reason. One because it was one of the top few votes for on the poll I did. And two, because I felt inspired to write this. I always feel like when I writing a story, the writer should feel inspired, and this idea was the one I felt most inspired to write.**

 **I know Sakura and Shikamaru being together is a different pairing than most people thing of, but I found interest in the idea of them being together. As they are both really intelligent people, and I find it would be interesting to see their personalities mix with each other.**

 **Some things to note, just so you all aren't confused. This is taking place in later Shippuden time. After the Pein invasion, but Asuma is still alive. The village has recovered considerably by now.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this first chapter!**

* * *

 **Mid-afternoon, May 2** **nd** **, Sakura's POV**

Kicking up a little dirt, Sakura kept on pushing herself to run a little faster. The sound of her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. She had developed a layer of sweat on her skin. The feeling of the wind passing by hit her warm body was welcome to her. Her eyes focused forward, and she used her peripheral vision to distinguish where she was. She had taken off in the forest near her Team's training grounds, and had been running on and off for over an hour. All she could really tell was that she was deep in Konoha's forest. Everything around her had started to take on a lightened glow. Partially from her exhaustion, and partially from the bright sunlight that shown down after the cloud that had been blocking it moved.

Team seven had come back from a weekend long mission about half an hour before she started her run. The thought of how the mission turned out, had her pushing herself to go even faster. It wasn't until she felt her muscles starting to fail her, that she finally slowed down. The worn out muscles throbbing. Having stopped towards the bottom of this big hill that was just off the bank of a medium sized pond. She recognized the area to being one of the highest spots in Konoha apart from the Hokage monuments. Coughing slightly at the burning feeling she felt from her lungs begging for more oxygen. She started to slowly walk the length of the grassy edge just a few feet from the pond. Back and forth in a pacing like motion.

Closing her eyes briefly, she got a flash of a memory from the mission. The memory of getting attacked with her teammates. Keeping her eyes closed as she turned around to continue walking. Vividly remembering the enemy coming towards her and her team, and it caused an almost choking feeling to start in throat. Enough to where she coughed, and felt like she'd throw up. She felt this so strongly, because she knew. She knew very well why those enemy ninja attacked her team, when they were doing a simple b-rank mission that wouldn't require anyone having reason to attack them. _The team was close to finding out…_

Stopping by the waters edge, she took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. _That they were after me._ At that thought, she slipped off her shoes, and dove into the pond. Swimming around, she started to lose track of time. The coolness of the water hitting her hot skin felt wonderful, and it was like her mind numbed momentarily. Slowing down, she felt the water pull around her, and knew she was getting close to where the water in the pond left to continue down a river. As this pond had a waterfall on one side, and a river continued on the other side.

She swam away from the river to stay in the pond, and finally felt the burning of her lungs strongly. Surfacing, she took in a deep breath, and caught her breath. Adjusting so she was floating on top of the water, she looked up at the sky. _I was able to keep the enemy ninja quiet from mentioning anything to my team…_ She trailed off, remembering the punch she had delivered to the ground. Then the cloud of smoke that rose up. As soon as the smoke was gone, so was the enemy. Taking in a deep breath, she allowed herself to sink under the water, as she let go of the air in her lungs slowly. Closing her eyes, and sinking lower in the water.

She wasn't sure how long she had continued to drop lower in the water. All she knew is that everything around her was still, apart from a slight pull from the water moving from the waterfall across the pond to the river. Although a differing movement in the water above her, had her opening her eyes. Looking upwards to find someone was standing on the water's surface. She couldn't distinguish who it was, and didn't really have much time to try to figure it out. The person had knelt down on the water's surface, and started to reach their hand towards the water.

 **Ten minutes before then**

Walking through the forest, Shikamaru irritably pushed some branches out of his way as he walked. _I don't understand why I have to suddenly be responsible for everything. Just because I'm suddenly considered old enough because I'm seventeen? That's ridiculous. My parents still are treating my like a child even though they keep insisting I act like an adult._ The thought of what it was that his parents wanted him to suddenly be responsible for made him cringe, as it certainly was not his style. _I honestly would rather do anything else than-_

Stopping mid-thought, Shikamaru moved quickly to where he was mostly hidden behind a tree. He turned his head to look around the tree. He was at one of his favorite spots in Konoha. It was a big hill. The second highest place in the village apart from the Hokage monuments. He was more towards the bottom now, and had caught sight of someone across the bottom of the hill. Focusing more on this person, he finally recognized this person to be Sakura Haruno.

She had just stopped running, and looked as if she had been running for a while. He watched her begin to pace the flatter part in-between the bottom of the hill and the pond to cool down. He heard a few coughs from her here and there, and watched her face each time she turned to walk in the general direction he was hiding at. By the look on her face, he could tell she must have had something on her mind. When she had stopped suddenly, he wondered if she had sensed him. But when she took off her shoes, that thought dispersed when she dove into the pond.

When she didn't come up right away, he found himself second guessing his first thought on if she had figured him out. Thinking she could have used herself diving into the pond as a decoy to sneak up on him, but his attention was brought back towards the pond when she resurfaced there. He watched her shake her hair out of her face, and move to float on her back. She remained like that for a minute, then she sunk under. However, this time after a few minutes of her not coming back up, he found himself wondering even more. Another half minute went by. _Where is she?_

Without really thinking about what he was doing, he stepped out from behind the tree, and moved over towards the pond. Jumping out to where she had been before, he landed on top of the water. It rippled out around his feet. When the water settled again, he was able to see her. At first she had her eyes closed, and then she opened them. Seeing her remaining there and not moving, he raised an eyebrow. _What is her problem?_ His body moved without much direction from his conscious, and he kneeled down and reaches his hand to the water.

 **Sakura's POV**

Not having any reaction time, as this person had broke the water's surface, and had wrapped their hand around her wrist, Sakura found herself being yanked right out of the water. With her hair in her eyes, she couldn't really see who was holding her, but she already started protesting. "Hey! What do you think you are doing?! Put me down!" Her words sounded much weaker than she meant, as she was coughing and trying to catch her breath at the same time.

"Are you going to try and drown yourself again?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Sakura stopped her struggling and moved to push her hair from her eyes. "Shikamaru?"

"Who else did you think it was?" Shikamaru countered, finally walking off the surface of the pond, and once on the grass he moved to set her to her feet.

"I couldn't see from under the water," was Sakura's reply, as she was still trying to catch her breath. It was quiet for a moment when she finally managed to catch it. Her thought went to the question he had first asked her. "I wasn't."

Shikamaru, who had been swiping some of the water off his arms from having carried her, looked over to her. "What?"

"I wasn't trying to drown myself," Sakura told him, moving towards the hill, and sitting back on the grass. Propping herself up with her hands behind her on the grass, she enjoyed the sun hitting her as she extended her legs flat on the ground. "I was cooling off."

"Are you sure about that?" Shikamaru asked her, his eyes questioningly on her. "You were under water for almost five minutes."

Sakura kept quiet, as she thought. _Five minutes huh? It didn't feel like that long._ Shaking her hair out again, she closed her eyes, and felt the chill of the wind. It was early May, and the weather had already started warming up considerably. But there were still moments of occasional cool air during the day. "I'm sure. I have no reason to try killing myself," she said finally, noticing that didn't stop the frown on his face, and she sighed heavily. "But since you are so convinced that I'm suicidal, I'll be sure to let you know the first time I think about offing myself, alright?"

Crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at Sakura, Shikamaru studied her in silence.

Feeling like he was still staring at her, Sakura opened her eyes. "For goodness sake, I'm fine! Really!" She told him, leaning back so she was laying on the grass, and closing her eyes again. "Your mission of making sure that I'm not trying to drown myself is complete. You saved me, are you happy? You can go on your way now, and stop staring at me."

A smirk grew on Shikamaru's face, as he hummed lowly. "I'm still here, because this is my spot."

Sakura's eyes snapped open, and she had to raise her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun to see Shikamaru. "Your spot?" She asked, seeing him nod, and that had her laugh. "Right, because I forgot that we all have designated areas to be in this village. My bad for overstepping into your territory."

"You are being rather sarcastic to someone who just, as you said, saved you," Shikamaru retorted, a smirk appearing on his face.

Having been slightly taken aback at Shikamaru joking back with her, Sakura turned her head back to face the sky. "I'm not going anywhere," she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath and released it. "This is the one place in Konoha my damn team can't find me, and I'm hiding from them at the moment. Plus, it's not like there is not enough room here. This hill is huge."

It was quiet after Sakura finished speaking. Shikamaru still observing her. Finally, he moved to give a distance of about five or so feet in-between them, before he sat down on the hill.

Hearing him sitting down, Sakura opened her eyes again. "Just because I'm here doesn't mean you have to sit so close to supervise me. I promise I'm not going to start destroying this place. I just said this hill is huge-"

"This is my spot remember?" Shikamaru interrupted her, his eyes had remained on her. "Since it's my spot, I get to chose where I get to sit. You are a guest."

Sakura actually smiled hearing that. "Wow, I've been upgraded from a trespasser to a guest in all of two minutes. I feel so special," she laughed, resting her arms down on the grass beside her. The sun warming her up.

Finding himself amused at how she so easily countered his joke with her own, Shikamaru's swept upwards towards the sky. They were left in a surprisingly peaceful silence that had brought his thoughts back to Sakura. _I don't really know her all that well, so naturally I just assumed she was like Ino. High strung, constantly talking, and troublesome. But, she doesn't strike me as that type of person._ His thoughts switched over to something she said before she had sat down on the hill, and he grew curious about it. "You said that you were hiding from your team?"

"Yes- I mean no," Sakura sighed heavily, and opened her eyes. "No, I mean yes. Really no, but kind of yes. I mean-"

"So which is it? Yes or no?" Shikamaru asked, moving to lie back against the hill. Smirking at her making a simple answer complicated.

"Yeah I am…" Sakura trailed off, thinking of the mission they just got back from again. A big frown on her face.

When she didn't elaborate further Shikamaru actually found himself actually wanting to know why she is hiding from her team. _Why do I care? Typically when I talk to my friends, or really anyone else for that matter, it only takes me less than a minute or so before I lose interest… I'm never this curious. I usually just deduce things myself if I am curious._ His eyes swept back over to Sakura. "Are you going to tell me why? Or am I going to have to ask?"

Slightly surprised that Shikamaru bothered asking, Sakura's eyes lowered down to the tree line. Just barely able to see the tallest buildings in the village from the low part of the hill they were on. "We just got back from a mission, something happened on it, and now they won't stop questioning me." Planning to leave it with that, Sakura pushed herself up, and moved to go higher up on the hill.

Moving his head so he could let his eyes travel up the hill behind himself, Shikamaru watched her walking to go sit higher up on the hill. Without second guessing it, he got up as well to go follow her. Sitting back down near her once closer to the top, he looked over to study her. Seeing that just talking about what was on her mind briefly seemed to unsettle her. Not planning on giving into his curiosity this time for the sake of keeping from making her so unsettled, he was surprised when she continued speaking.

"If I tell you, I'm going to need you to promise to not question me at all about the mission, and what happened on it. Nor go and tell anyone else about this," Sakura spoke up, remaining sitting up now that they were higher up on the hill. Her elbow resting on her knee, and her chin on her hand. The other hand was pulling at the grass near her feet. Her eyes watching the village, as now she could see many of the smaller buildings, and almost all the way across the village from this height. The sun was beginning to set.

Pondering once again as to why he was so curious to find out what was on her mind, Shikamaru finally nodded when he couldn't come up with an answer. "Okay."

"It was just a simple mission of us delivering something from Tsunade to one of the smaller villages in the Wind Country. We were gone most of the weekend. We had been traveling back the past day and a half, and this morning we were attacked. It was so sudden, and because the mission being so simple, no one knew why these people were attacking… other than me," Sakura started, taking a deep breath, and kept her focus forward. "I knew why, and I had to make sure my team wouldn't find out. Because if they knew… I just don't want to put them in that position."

At Sakura pausing, Shikamaru noticed her eyes flicker down to the grassy hill below them, and a frown form on her face.

"After the enemy disappeared, my team was at first questioning to what happened, but then Sai pointed out that I was being quiet. Then the next I knew they all seemed to figure out that I knew something, which I denied immediately," Sakura said, giving a short sarcastic laugh. "Of course, I did actually know something, but I couldn't tell them. So when they realized I wouldn't tell them, they kept pestering me all the way back to the village. As soon as we got here and checked in with Tsunade, I bolted."

It was quiet and Shikamaru realized she was finished explaining. Right away, thoughts of several questions he wanted to ask circled his mind. He lined up for good ones, but had to push them back. Realizing he wouldn't be able to ask them, as it would break his promise to not question what she had told him. Finally his eyes went back to her, a question he knew he could ask on the tip of his tongue. "So what? You've been running from your team since you got back?"

"Well, I went home first," Sakura replied, surprised he kept true to his word and didn't ask her any questions about the mission. "After dropping my bag off, I changed into some running clothes, and then took off. Knowing that if I stayed at home someone from the team or all of them would show up and end up cornering me. We've only been back for maybe two hours, and I've avoided them so far. I'm hoping by the time I actually go home they'll have given up for the day."

Continuing to watch her, Shikamaru thought of another question. "Okay, this is not a question about what happened on the mission? So can I ask it?"

Sakura sighed, and her eyes went back up to look at the sky above the village. "I am not going to promise that I will give you answer, but go ahead."

"Does the Hokage know what you know? About why the people attacked?" Shikamaru asked, watching her already nod.

"Yes, she does."

"Then why don't you ask her if she can get your team to back off?" Shikamaru questioned, as that seemed to be the most logical solution.

"Because," Sakura started, her eyes finally going to meet Shikamaru's. "She wants me to tell them. But, I believe it's for their own good not to know about it. So I can't go to her and ask her to tell them to back off. Because she wouldn't do it. She would just tell me to tell them."

Watching Sakura for a moment longer, Shikamaru moved to lay back on the grassy hill. "So does this mean you are going to stay here longer then?"

Sakura smiled at his question, and moved to lay back as well. Except this time on her stomach. Resting her head on her arms, facing her head away from him, she sighed. "Remember, this is a big hill Shikamaru. Plenty of space. Enough for you to share."

Hearing her say that, made a genuine smile appear on Shikamaru's face. Keeping his eyes on Sakura, who was looking away from. There was something about her that made him realize that he didn't mind her staying here with him.

 **A couple hours later**

Unlocking the door of her apartment, Sakura heard whining on the other side, and it made her smile. Opening the door she was greeted by her two dogs, whining happily that she was now home. Shadow was an all black German Shepherd. Tank, also a German Shepherd, was a bit more traditional in his furs color. A mixture of sand colored fur and black fur. His legs, and most of his face just black fur.

"Hey boys," she greeted them both, laughing at them running around her legs. Wanting attention. She gave them a little love, and then pushed the front door back open. "Go outside." She ushered them out to go and use the bathroom. Laughing when she heard them start barking at something outside, she shook her head, and continued into her apartment. Leaving the front door open for when they would come back.

Dropping her bag on one of the bar stools on the opposite side of the kitchen cabinets. The kitchen was mainly open to the living room. The sound of a meow was heard at her feet, and then her third furbaby jumped up onto the countertop. Only on the corner of the one countertop she didn't use. There was a little cat bed that was meant as a high place for the cat to get away from the dogs. "Hey Baby," she greeted her cat by it's name. It was a light grey/darker grey tabby cat. She gave Baby a little love like she had given the dogs.

Walking around the countertop to the small space in-between the refrigerator and the wall that led to the hall her bedroom was on. There were two containers there. She got a scoop full of cat food, she poured it into one of the small bowls by the counter that Baby was on. And doing that made the cat jump off to eat some food. Closing the first container, she opened the second. Starting to scoop dog food into the dogs bowls that was across the kitchen from the cat's bowl. She just finished up when Shadow and Tank came back inside. They moved right away to go to their food bowls. Which had her smiling. Going to close the front door, she locked it.

However, that's when she heard a knock on her door. Raising an eyebrow, she unlocked the door again, and opened it. Smiling at the sight on the other side. "Thank god you are here. We have a lot to talk about over dinner."

 **Shikamaru's POV**

Walking out of his bathroom, Shikamaru finished towel drying his hair, and tossed the towel to the dirty clothes hamper. Ready to get bed, he turned off the light, and settled down on his bed. Laying back, he moved both arms back behind his head. Staring up at the ceiling, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dark room. _It's been a long day. I'm exhausted, and I don't even want to think about tomorrow. After avoiding my parents all day, I didn't realize just how tiring that would be. My team of course chose today to not have a training, so that led me to having to take extra measures to avoid my parents._

His eyes caught onto the ceiling fan that circled around, and it got him thinking to how he managed to avoid his parents for most of the day. His efforts to avoid led him into Konoha's forest, going to one of his favorite spots that wasn't known to anyone. _Well aside from Sakura I guess._ His thoughts shifted over to the pink haired girl, to his surprise, the thought brought a smile to his face. He hurriedly relaxed his expression. _She talked a lot, but I didn't mind as much as I usually would. Then when she wasn't talking, it wasn't awkward silence; it was peaceful. I even encouraged conversation with her, something I never do._

That thought had him thinking back to why he had been avoiding his parents all day. _Mom talked about it all through dinner, and from what she was saying, I can already tell this is going to be miserable. These next two months are going to be hell that's for sure…_ He trailed off, once again the thought of his run in with Sakura today crossing his mind. When he started to smile again, he turned over, and pressed his face into his pillows. _Maybe it won't be so bad after all._

 **The next day, Sunday**

Waking up to her alarm blaring in her ears, Sakura reached over, and slammed her hand down on the off button. Lifting her head up from where it was snuggled against her pillows, she yawned. The room was still dim as it was only five in the morning. Meaning it wasn't quite time for the sun to rise. Her eyes flickered around herself. Baby was curled up towards the top of the pillows on her bed, Tank was stretched out behind her on the bed, and Shadow was in front of her. Her arm lightly wrapped over him, as he liked to be cuddled when they slept.

Sakura's movement had Shadow lifting his head up from the bed, and his tail started thumping against the bed. He stuck his face closer to hers, and licked her face.

"Alright love, let's get moving. I can't get up with how you and your brother are sitting on top of the covers," Sakura laughed, as both her dogs didn't move. Shadow was still thumping his tail, and Tank had adjusted to where he could stick his face in hers as well. "Boys, let's get moving!" She called out through laughter to get them to actually get up this time. Shadow off the bed, and Tank practically jumped a good five feet in the air to get off the bed. Already rushing out the door of her bedroom.

After going to let the dogs out, she came back into her bedroom, and then went into the bathroom. The thought of training that morning had her already dreading it. Now that everyone in their age group apart from Naruto was either Chunin or Jounin, they had upped the training for everyone. So it was more sparring than anything now. Occasionally it would be to learn new techniques, but at this point everyone was qualified enough to take on new jutsu on their own.

Since they were sparring more, the sensei's had this thing that about two to three times a week, they would get all four of the teams together to be able to have a more variety in sparring. Today was one of those days. Which just meant a much longer training session, and more annoyance in having to deal with her team which consisted of some of the most stubbornly, competitive, annoying ninja out of them all. So they'd probably end up getting in trouble, and get a punishment like they usually did on these days.

Finishing up in the bathroom, she left to go to the kitchen. Grabbing a bowl from the cabinet, her thoughts on cereal. _Even though I don't do anything except try to stop my teammates, I end up in trouble too. And_ \- Her thought was interrupted when she faintly heard her dogs barking. Shortly followed by the yelling of an elderly woman who lived two floors below her on the ground floor. "Damn it," she cursed, leaving her bowl of cereal on the cabinet, she crossed her apartment, and stepped just outside her door. "Shadow, Tank, come!"

 **An hour later**

Glancing at the village around her, the progress that had been made over the past few months had Sakura smiling ear to ear. The village was looking fairly back to normal. _Considering what it looked like after Pein's attack on the village, this place looks amazing now._ Tsunade had friends from the Land of Earth helping them level out the ground the village was on to the ground outside the village walls. _Everything feels so peaceful now-_

"Come on! I'm so much better than you are!"

The sound of Naruto's loud exclamation hit Sakura's ears, and set a frown across her face. _So much for peaceful._ Getting closer to where she was supposed to meet her team, the sound of Naruto arguing with Sai continued to grow. With her good mood ruined and her patience with their arguing growing thin, she walked right in-between the two, and stopped between them. This caused both Naruto and Sai to stop arguing with each other, and it grew dead silent.

The sound of Sai grunting in pain, and Naruto yelling out more dramatically was the next thing heard. "Sakura, what was that for?!" Naruto continued in his groaning and yelling in pain. Kneeling on the ground, and holding his head. Right where she had delivered a harsh punch.

Sakura ignored Naruto's words, and turned on Sai, who was in a similar position as Naruto. "Stop antagonizing him!"

Naruto laughed at the sound of her getting onto Sai, and started to stand up. "That's right-"

"And you!" Sakura exclaimed, interrupting him, as she turned on her heel to face Naruto. Right away noticing his expression full of fear, as he shrunk back. "Stop letting him get to you! You retaliate like a four year old! Grow up!"

After Sakura's exclamation, nothing was said from either Naruto or Sai. The silence had Sakura smiling again. "Finally. Some peace and quiet."

"Thanks for that," Sai surprisingly started up bravely first. "I was about to kill him if he wouldn't stop."

"Like you ever could-" Naruto stopped in replying back to Sai at the glare Sakura sent his way. A light bulb seemed to suddenly go off in his mind with a new thought. "You disappeared yesterday."

"Yeah," Sai agreed with Naruto, relaxing back against the railing on the bridge. His eyes focused on their pink haired teammate. "Why did you ignore our questions about what happened on the mission?"

With yesterday being brought up so soon this morning, Sakura groaned inwardly. Having hoped they would have let this go. "I don't know what you guys are talking about. Nothing happened yesterday," Sakura deadpanned, her eyes narrowing at her teammates.

"No, you have to remember. On the mission? When we got attacked?" Naruto offered to her, as he clearly didn't understand that Sakura was hinting at them to drop it.

Sai did understand that she wanted them to let it go, but he wasn't really planning on listening. "What do you know? You can't really withhold information. They attacked all of us, so I think we deserve to know."

"Yeah, Sai has a point for once," Naruto agreed nodding his head once, and crossing his arms.

"What do you mean by 'for once'?" Sai asked him, a glare in Naruto's direction.

To Sakura's slight relief, that seemed to start her teammates back into arguing with each other, instead of continuing to question her. Bowing her head, she sighed heavily. _I'm thankful that they aren't questioning me, but this arguing is so damn annoying!_

Twenty minutes later, Kakashi and Yamato finally showed up. Just in time to hear the sounds of their team fighting once again. When they got closer, they got to see what the commotion was about. Finding that both Sai and Naruto had received hits from Sakura, and the pink haired female of the team had just tackled Naruto to the ground to punch him.

Sakura only got in one good punch on Naruto before she was pulled back by Kakashi and Yamato. Kakashi speaking first. "Let's cool down."

"What happened?" Yamato asked after Sakura yanked her arms away from Kakashi and himself.

"Those morons won't leave me alone!" Sakura exclaimed in annoyance. "That is what happened!"

When Kakashi and Yamato's eyes went to the other two. Sai spoke up first. "That's only because she is hiding something."

"About the mission yesterday," Naruto further elaborated. "When we got attacked. She knows something and isn't telling us. It's only fair she tells us-"

"If you two don't let that go, I will personally send you to your graves!" Sakura yelled interrupting Naruto, her eyes full of fire.

"Alright, that is enough," Yamato said, stepping in front of Sakura before she could lunge at the guys again.

"You two need to leave her alone," Kakashi added, his eyes on the guys. Having not really planned to have to deal with fighting between them this morning. "Is that understood?"

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but at Sakura clearing her throat and glaring at him, he closed his mouth again. Leaving no response from Naruto or Sai. Although both Kakashi and Yamato knew that they wouldn't bother Sakura for the fear of her hitting them again.

"Wow," Ino's voice was heard, breaking the silent air that had been created. The sound of voices from her team, along with Team Eight and Team Gai had Team Seven looking over. Ino propped her hands on her hips, and smirked at the sight of Team Seven. "I'm surprised to see that Team Seven isn't making a sound."

"Well, you missed it by a good minute or two," Kakashi said next, rubbing the back of his head. Knowing he should be embarrassed by how everyone else in the village looked at Team Seven as the most noisy and rowdy team, but it just seemed normal to him now.

Yamato nodded in agreement with Kakashi. "This is mostly due to how our male members are being threatened to silence."

While Yamato didn't say any names, all eyes seemed to go to Sakura anyways. Which had her rolling her own eyes, and shaking her head. "They were asking for it," she angrily explained to the others. Turning on her heel, she had to hold back a smirk at how her teammates noticeably took a few steps away from her when she passed them. She walked off the bridge and into the training ground area. Moving to a tree to go set her stuff down.

"Should I ask how your morning is going?"

The sound of Hinata's question had Sakura's eye twitching. "Before or after I almost killed my teammates for not leaving me alone about what happened yesterday?"

Sakura's question had Hinata laughing as she set her bag down alongside Sakura's. "Well, you keeping it from them is the reason for their questions."

"Yeah, but you know why I am keeping it from them," Sakura reminded Hinata. Irritably shuffling through her bag to find her headband as she had forgotten to put it on before she left her apartment that morning. "I'm-"

"Trying to protect them," Hinata finished for her, as she knew exactly why Sakura was holding back "I know. I'm just saying to remember that before you start beating them to pulps for questioning you."

Finishing the tie under her hair, Sakura straightened her headband on the top of her head, then crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't have come by my apartment last night."

"Was it really me that helped you? Or was it the bottle of wine I brought?" Hinata asked, raising an eyebrow, a smile on her face.

Grinning at the sight of Hinata's raised eyebrow, Sakura smirked. "Both, of course."

"By the way, you sleep through everything," Hinata said to change the subject. "I woke up around two in the morning, then got up to leave. Because I wanted to go home and change into actual pajamas, and sleep in my own bed. When I was leaving, I tripped over Baby, and you didn't wake up at all."

"That's not surprising that I didn't wake up. After the long day I had, I was certainly exhausted enough to sleep so deeply," Sakura replied, sighing as she couldn't help herself from talking about what happened yesterday. "But, seriously though. It was much needed after the day of the stupid mission, then hiding out from my team."

"What did you do after you went running?" Hinata asked, noticing Sakura wasn't exactly taking the change in subject, and had circled back to talking about yesterday's events. "You never got to that part because we fell asleep."

That had Sakura's eyes traveling to the others. The teams were all mingling together. Her eyes searched through them, person to person, until they landed on a certain black haired ninja. His pulled up spiky hair being the first thing she found. His back was facing her. Her eyes flickered back to Hinata. "I actually ran into Shikamaru."

That had Hinata raising her eyebrow again. "Really now?" After Sakura's explanation as to what happened during her run in with Shikamaru, Hinata shook her head. "I always pictured him to be the type to not really care to be involved in anyone's business. It's kind of strange that he was so talkative with you."

"Tell me about it," Sakura agreed, but shrugged her shoulders at the thought. "It's not a big deal. He was probably in a good mood or something."

"That," Hinata said, a growing smirk on her own face. "Or he wanted to hear about one of your crazy ass adventures first hand instead of what gets told by Ino."

That had both of them cracking up laughing. Although the sound of the sensei's calling everyone together had them slowing their laughter down. Walking over to join the others to start listening to the sensei's addressing how they would start sparring that morning.

Sakura started to drown out what the sensei's were saying, as it was the same thing every time they said every time the four teams would get together to spar. Her eyes flickered around the others, and smirked when she noticed that she wasn't the only one who wasn't paying attention. Continuing her glancing around the others, she found herself stopping on Shikamaru, as she found he was looking in her direction. Making eye contact with him.

Shikamaru kept Sakura's gaze. Rolling his eyes at the sensei's repetitive talking of rules they were supposed to follow. When his eyes met Sakura's again, he smirked at the sight of a smile appearing on her face. Watching as she looked away from him, and shook her head.

 _Glad to know I'm not the only one who is bored out of their mind._ Sakura thought, her eyes continuing their sweep around. Finally landing on her two teammates. To find they were staring at her. After more of their staring, it started to lead to her annoyance. A vein throbbed in her forehead at their shameless staring. Finally having enough of it, she started to raise her hands to prop them on her hips.

The sight of Sakura propping her hands on her hips, seemed to spark a reaction from her teammates almost immediately. Sai was quick with taking steps back. Naruto, however, had a much more dramatic reaction.

"Stop doing that!" Naruto exclaimed, completely interrupting the sensei's from speaking. He had taken many more dramatic steps backwards, and flailed his arms all around. Leading to ending up falling backwards on the ground.

"What is going on over there?" Kakashi asked, as everyone's attention had gone to Team Seven. They were standing farther towards the back of the group.

"Tell Sakura to stop doing that!" Naruto exclaimed, sitting up on the ground, as he pointed to Sakura.

Sakura, who had remained standing with her hands on her hips, just glared at Naruto. "I'm not doing anything, you idiot!"

"No, you are standing like that!" Naruto exclaimed back to her, still pointing at her. "Why are you doing that?"

"Why are you two incapable of leaving me alone?!" Sakura shot back towards her two teammates. She grew visibly more irritated, as she crossed her arms.

This seemed to make Sai step back further, and Naruto to scramble up from the ground. Sai spoke first. "I'm not involved in this."

"Yes you are!" Sakura exclaimed back at Sai. "You two won't stop staring at me!"

"Okay, you three need to cool it," Yamato spoke before Naruto or Sai could respond.

Kakashi sighed as it had to be his team that was causing interruptions. "What part of leave Sakura alone was not clear?"

"I didn't do anything!" Sai exclaimed to point out.

Naruto shook his head, his eyes on Sakura. "Is it a crime to look at someone-"

"When you are looking at me it is!" Sakura interrupted him, fire in her eyes. "I told you two to let it go, and you won't do that!"

"Because," Naruto started, holding one hand out as if that was shielding him from Sakura's wrath. "We are just concerned about you hiding-"

"For goodness sake I said let it go!" Sakura straight up yelled back at Naruto. "If I wanted you idiots to know, I would have told you!"

"Don't call me an idiot," Sai's eyes narrowed, irritated with Sakura pulling him into this.

"Sakura," Naruto started, shaking his head at her. "You are not being fair- no wait!"

Sakura taking off in Naruto's direction had him stopping his words. Hitting Sai harshly as she passed him, she moved straight to Naruto. Yelling out as she tackled him to the ground. The rolled around for a moment before ending with her on top of his back. Her legs around his neck, and her hands holding one of his arms back behind him. "Will you just leave me alone?!"

"Dear god," Kurenai said, watching them fight, and Sakura clearly not holding back at all.

"This escalated quickly," Kiba added, the others nodding in agreement.

That's when Yamato and Kakashi had to move over to break the two apart. Which took a lot more effort this time than it did earlier that morning. They finally got around to splitting the two up, but not before Sakura got a good hit to Naruto's abdomen. Leading to him bending over and coughing.

"That's enough!" Yamato exclaimed at Sakura still attempting to lunge at Naruto.

"What in the hell did you do that for?!" Naruto exclaimed at Sakura through his coughing. "I ought to-"

"Cool it," Yamato interrupted Naruto, sighing at how both Sakura and Naruto were glaring at each other.

Kakashi shook his head at them. "You three need to take a few laps around the village. This is ridiculous."

"That's not fair," Sai replied to Kakashi first. "I'm not even involved-"

"If you do not shut up, I will come after you next," Sakura interrupted Sai, glaring at him.

Sakura's threat had finally led to silence in the training ground. Kakashi cleared his throat after a moment. "Take ten laps around the village. Once your done, you can come back."

Tearing her arms from Yamato, Sakura just straightened out her headband a little, a scowl on her face.

"Behave," Yamato added, cautiously letting Naruto go, but was talking to all three of them.

"Fine," Sakura said, walking past her teammates, she paused. "As long as these idiots keep their distance from me, we shouldn't have a problem."

That had Naruto and Sai starting off in a completely different direction than Sakura. Not wanting to test her anymore at the moment.

It was quiet as the three left the training ground. The others teams were a mixture of humor, annoyance, and not really caring for Team 7's squabbles. Shikamaru had been watching them interact closely, and thought of what Sakura said yesterday. _She wasn't kidding when she said that her team was persistent. She certainly looks to be getting tired of dealing with their questions that's for sure._

 **A few hours later**

Team Seven had rejoined the others after an a little over forty five minutes of running their laps all the way around the village. Once back, it was noted that Team Seven was being kept separated. Which Sakura certainly wasn't complaining about. Having just finished up a spar with Tenten, as well as receiving a lecture from their sensei's on destroying half the training ground, she turned to high five Tenten.

"We always do such a good job of destroying the training grounds," Tenten boasted, happily high fiving Sakura back.

Sakura nodded in agreement with Tenten. "I know. Next time we need to aim to knock down all the trees."

"No!" That was a chorus of the sensei's who had been watching the match. That had the others laughing.

The sound of a bird's call was heard, and brought attention to a hawk flying down towards them. It landed on Kakashi's shoulder. He pulled the message from it, and read it over. "Tsunade needs to speak with Shikamaru," he said, then read the remainder of the scroll. "As well as Sakura."

"Why?" Naruto asked almost immediately.

"I don't know why Naruto, but I don't believe that's any of our business," Kakashi replied, trying to point out to Naruto that he was being nosy, but knew that Naruto wouldn't understand that.

Sakura, slightly confused, turned to go grab her bag. "Anything to get away from my idiot teammates."

"Hey!" Was the chorus from Sai and Naruto.

"You don't seem that surprised," Ino said, having watched Shikamaru's neutral expression, as he grabbed his bag.

Shrugging, Shikamaru looked up at the sky. "It's not that unusual to be called to speak to the Hokage," he replied back, waiting for Sakura to finish collecting her stuff, before they started in the direction of the Hokage's office.

It was quiet between the two as they walked. Sakura was focusing on taking her gloves off, and slipping them in her bag. It wasn't until after she did that, the silence became more noticeable to her. Her eyes slipped to her side to focus on Shikamaru. "You don't seem all that curious as to why Tsunade would summon us both."

"It's because I'm not," Shikamaru replied, his hands in his pockets, and his eyes remained up on the sky. "I know why we are being summoned." This being said, had him looking away from the sky, to focus on Sakura. "I'm sure you have heard of the Nara clan's annual party, and that it's coming up in a couple months."

Sakura nodded slowly, as she had heard of it before. "I know some about it. Ever since Tsunade became Hokage, she has to attend every year. She always gave me the lovely job of keeping track of all the missions, and the documents that she regularly had to look at during the time the party would take place." This had a smile start on Sakura's face. "Tsunade would be in and out of the office. Usually when she was in she wouldn't do any work. And I might add, that week is typically the week that the most stuff gets done, because I'm actually doing all of her work for her."

Shikamaru smirked at her words for a moment, before growing back to a slightly more serious expression. Reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck, his eyes went back to her. "I wanted to ask you something."

 **Back to the training grounds**

"Shikamaru's probably getting called for something about the Nara party," Ino said, as they had all moved to take a break after Shikamaru and Sakura left.

"What Nara party?" Kiba asked.

"It's a party his clan throws every year," Ino replied, her arms crossed over her chest. "Even though it's a couple months from now, he is supposed to start working on it soon."

Tenten had a raised eyebrow. "Well, why would Sakura get called too?"

"It's probably unrelated," Hinata offered with a shrug of her shoulders. "Tsunade could just need her for something."

"I'm surprised we haven't been told to get started on helping out yet," Choji spoke up, getting the others to look over at him. "After the party, there is this week long festival that we're most likely going to have to help get stuff for. Which isn't really that big of a deal. At least we aren't in Shikamaru's shoes. He's probably stressed out."

"Why would he be stressed out?" Hinata asked curiously. _Could that be what he was avoiding yesterday? I know Sakura made it seem that he wasn't hanging around the hill just for the hell of it._

Surprisingly Asuma cleared his throat to enter the conversation of the younger ninja. "Shikamaru is actually having to participate in the whole party this year."

That had Naruto laughing. "Shikamaru doesn't do work. He'll probably just avoid it all."

"Shikamaru can't avoid it this time," Choji said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Sai asked rather dismissively. "Nothing has stopped him from avoiding something he doesn't want to do in the past."

"This party has been tradition for the Nara Clan to throw for about seventy years now," Kakashi jumped in the conversation to explain. "Since Shikamaru's family is head of the clan, it's tradition they be in charge. It's a big deal for the village, as this is a time where a lot of important people from all over the nation are going to be in the village all it once."

"How come we have never heard of this before?" Naruto asked.

"We haven't been old enough to really attend before this year," Ino replied, seeing Naruto didn't understand still, she continued. "They don't just let everyone go. Because while it is a party, it is a whole lot of business for the Leaf Village. Since we are all around seventeen and eighteen years old, we're allowed to actually go this year. Only clan members are allowed to attend before reaching the age of seventeen."

"This will be a week long event," Asuma continued from where Ino left off. "The first day is the party hosted by the Nara's. The next five days are festival days. Then the seventh day is the ball they hold."

"Ball?" Naruto questioned.

"It's a formal type of dance," Hinata explained to him, feeling her cheeks growing warm just by directly looking him in the eye.

Not noticing Hinata's red cheeks, Naruto nodded. "Oh, I got it."

"As for why Shikamaru can't avoid it now is because he's finally of age," Choji started back to answer Sai's question of why. "Now that he is seventeen, he's going to have a more adult type of role in the party. He's responsible for a lot more."

"So what has he been doing at the party before this year?" Hinata asked.

"Just attending as a Nara clan member. He'd only show up for whenever he had to do something with his family like the dinner on the first day. Then he would skip out on everything else, like the socializing parts. And usually the festival and definitely the ball too." Choji replied, shrugging his shoulders then. "This year he can't skip out because he has to do all of that."

"Alright," Kakashi spoke up before more could be said. "It's time to get back to sparring-"

"Hell yeah, let's do it!" Naruto's loud exclamation interrupted Kakashi, as he jumped up. Ready to go.

 **Sakura and Shikamaru's POV**

Unable to help herself, Sakura found herself raising an eyebrow at all Shikamaru just told her. "So, let me get this straight," she started slowly, her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes remaining on him as they continued their walk to the Hokage tower. "Since you are now having no choice but to participate in this party, your parents are requiring you to start working to prepare for it now, two months in advance?"

"Pretty much," Shikamaru confirmed, followed with a long sigh. "They have been discussing it for the past week. Mostly about what kind of stuff they want me to be doing, which I might add is a hell of a lot more than what should be considered fair. As they aren't having to do nearly as much from what I have been observing."

They had reached the bottom of the Hokage tower, and Sakura leaned over to grab Shikamaru's wrist. Stopping him, so she could continue speaking. "And on top of that, since you are seventeen, you are considered as more of an adult. Because of that, your parents want you to bring someone with you to the party. As in a date?"

Nodding his head, Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. The thought of it all was annoying and troublesome. "They said it'll look better for the clan if-and I quote-I look like I have my life together. Because apparently it's not together now."

"And for some reason you chose to ask me…?" Sakura asked slowly.

Shikamaru once again nodded. His eyes meeting hers. "Yeah, I did."

That had them falling into silence, Sakura trying to fully process what exactly he was asking of her to do. "I just would think you'd ask someone like Ino to do it. You hang out with her more."

"There are two things wrong with that statement. One, Ino and I are teammates, but I don't exactly hang out with her on the level of friendship you are implying. Two, I don't know about you, but the idea of putting Ino anywhere near this strikes me with fear for my sanity. She would get way too excited and involved in all this stuff, and I'd be getting dragged all over the damn nation," Shikamaru replied, noticing that didn't get rid of the hesitating look in Sakura's eye. "Look, I'm already in a tight spot. My mom is running around trying to get everything started, and my dad supports whatever she says. In order to get my mom to stop screaming at me for not valuing my clan name, I'm starting on some of things she wanted me to do. If you don't want to do it-"

"No it's fine," Sakura interrupted him, finally shaking herself out of her thoughts. She let go of his arm, turned towards the stairs, and started up them. "I don't mind helping you out. I think it'll be fun."

Shikamaru watched her for a moment before following. "What exactly is your definition of fun?"

"I like the idea of going to a party," Sakura replied, laughing lightly. "Just because you are going to have to be stuck with me for the week long party, I don't think it's going to be that bad."

"That's the thing," Shikamaru said, sighing heavily once again. "The planning and stuff we have to do for this party is going to be a lot to do over the next two months. So it's more like you are signing up for a little over two months of being involved with this." After he said that it was silent in-between them as they continued up the stairs. He watched her from behind trying to figure out why she was being quiet. When they reached the top of the stairs, Shikamaru stopped her. "If you want to back out. Now would be the time."

"I don't know," Sakura started, sighing dramatically, as she turned to face him. Surprisingly holding a smile on her face. "If I should be offended that you only asked me because you had to or not. I thought we were becoming friends after yesterday." Her tone showed she was clearly teasing. Turning back to open the door, she laughed, and started down the hall to the Hokage's office.

Shikamaru, remaining frozen to the spot, watched as she walked down the hall. Hearing her laughter, he found himself even more surprised how she didn't seem the slightest bit bothered at how big of a deal this would end up being. Finally, shaking his head, he moved through the doorway to start down the hall after her. A smile growing on his face.

 **Shikamaru's POV, later that evening**

"I invited someone to come help with all this."

That was the first thing Shikamaru told his parents after they had started to finish up dinner. Which seemed to roll right over his dad's head, but his mom grew a scowl on her face. "Shikamaru, you can't invite your friends to come and do your work for you."

When his wife settled her eyes on him, Shikaku sighed, and nodded in agreement with his wife. "Do what she says Shikamaru."

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes at his dad's clear lack of interest in the conversation, Shikamaru shook his head. _He's just agreeing with her for no reason apart from the fact that she's his wife._ "I'm not inviting my friends to come and do the work for me mom."

Placing her silverware down on her empty plate, Yoshino shook her head at her son. "Shikamaru, you just said-"

"I said I invited someone, not the whole damn village," Shikamaru interrupted, clear annoyance in his tone.

"Do not use that language, and certainly not when you are speaking to me," was his mom's sharp reply.

"Sorry," Shikamaru apologized followed with a sigh at how troublesome this conversation was turning out to be. _Although, it's not that unexpected._ "I invited one person, not everyone. And you said I had to."

"I said no such thing," his mom replied, shaking her head at her son. "I only said that along with your responsibilities this year, you are to bring a date with you to the party. Not one of your friends to come and hangout with you. There is a big difference."

"I'm aware," Shikamaru said, taking a breath at how his mom was making this a much bigger deal than it needed to be. "That's what I'm saying. I invited this girl to come to the party with me, as my-"

Shikamaru was interrupted by his father choking on his water he had been drinking, leading to rough coughing come from him.

His mother's eyes were wide, as she was clearly taken aback by what had just come out of her son's mouth. "You invited someone-a girl-to go with you to the party… to be your date?"

Nodding back at his mom's question, Shikamaru tried his hardest to ignore his dad's reaction. "You told me I needed to start working on stuff for the party."

Shikamaru's mom was quiet at that, still looking taken aback. Shikamaru's dad spoke up after his coughing died down. "I think your mom is just a little surprised that you started working on this stuff on your own."

Seeing both his parents still looking at him strangely, Shikamaru sighed once again. "She's a friend of mine… I guess. Out of all the girls I know, I can tolerate her for more than five minutes. And I thought at least this way, I won't be miserable having to put up with someone I can't stand for the next two months."

Finally Shikamaru's mom spoke up after a moment of silence. "Okay, well when do we get to meet her? I don't just want you choosing some random girl and throwing her into this."

"You said to start working early tomorrow, so I'm going to go pick her up tomorrow morning to come over and get started," Shikamaru replied without hesitation, noticing that his answer put them in silence again.

His dad cleared his throat after another awkward moment of silence passed. "Do you like this girl-"

"Dad," Shikamaru interrupted, already able to tell what his dad was suggesting. "It's not like that."

"Son, it's not like you to go and find company with any female on this planet," was what his dad immediately replied with. "So that being the first thing you choose to do, is a tad bit strange, and concerning-"

"Dad!" Shikamaru interrupted again, clearly growing annoyed now. "Just because I did that first doesn't mean anything. And I do talk to girls… Sometimes… Okay, not usually, but mostly because I find them to be highly annoying and intolerable." Sighing for nearly the twentieth time since sitting down for dinner that night, he continued. "We are just friends. I don't even know if it's acceptable to call her that. As we've never actually hung out before, aside from yesterday. Sure we've known each other since before the academy, but she's always been around her teammates more. You know, Sai and Naruto-"

"Oh, it's that girl!" Shikamaru's mom interrupted a big smile on her face now. "I know her, she's the Hokage's apprentice, right? She's real pretty."

"Mom," Shikamaru said, deciding he's had enough of this, he grabbed his empty dishes from dinner, and stood up. "Get this out of your system now you two. Don't embarrass me tomorrow by trying to make this something that it isn't."

That had his mom and dad laughing. "Don't get so worked up Shikamaru," his mom told him, her tone slightly teasing.

Shikamaru left the dining room, and went to put his dishes in the sink. When he set them down, his eyes went up to the ceiling. His thoughts on Sakura, and he found his cheeks get warm at the thought of his parents suggesting he and Sakura were anything more than friends. _I need to stop that right there. We've only had an actual conversation yesterday. One time. Not really anything to classify us as… what my parents are suggesting. Let alone friends._ Feeling his cheeks still warming up at the thought of his parents suggestions, he found himself growing irritated with how this hadn't gone at all as smoothly as he had wanted it to. _This is going to be a long two months._

 **Sakura's POV**

Sakura was stuck. She was currently sitting at the end of her bed. Tank was laying halfway in her lap, a tennis ball in his mouth. Shadow was directly behind her, laying on his back with his paws up in the air. Having given up on trying to get up, she had started to pet them, and think about the day's events. Her petting eventually slowed as she had the thought of what she had just signed up for so willingly. _This is two months of my life that I just signed away. Meaning less training, less missions, less working at the hospital, and less seeing my furbabies._

That last thought had her eyeing Tank, Shadow, and then Baby who was curled up on top of her pillows at the head of the bed. Frowning, she started to maneuver around Tank to get up from the bed. At her trying to get up, both her dogs ears went up, and their focus went to her. Shadow rolling over so he was on his stomach now. "Relax you two. I'm taking a shower. You can handle being alone for a little while," she told them, turning away to walk into her bathroom. Turning on the water, she stripped down, and got inside the shower. Closing the glass door, and stepping under the hot stream of water.

She wasn't quite sure how long she was in the shower, but it certainly did the trick of getting rid of her thoughts. When she finally got out, she dressed in black shorts, and a grey quarter sleeved top that left part of her midriff visible if she lifted her arms up at all. The second she finished changing, both Shadow and Tank were up and trotting out of her room. She left with them, and moved to let them outside one last time for the night.

Standing out on the landing in front of her apartment door, she rested her arms on the railing, and she looked up at the night sky. There weren't any clouds in the sky, so the stars were completely visible. _Maybe it won't be so bad having something to do for the next two months after all. It'll be different, but maybe the change in pace will be good for me._ Once Shadow and Tank finally came back up the stairs to the floor she was on, they went inside, and she followed them. Locking the door behind her, she turned the lights off as she walked back to her room.

Climbing in bed, she just turned the light off as the dogs jumped on the bed. Settling down like they usually did. Tank spread out on the bed to her right, and Shadow more comfortably closer to Sakura on her left. Remaining on her back, she stared up at the ceiling. _I'm forgetting something… Oh well, it's probably not that important anyways._ Turning on her left side, facing the wall her door was on. She wrapped her arm around Shadow like she usually did, and she felt Tank adjust so he was closer to her back. Closing her eyes, she felt movement up towards the top of her pillows where Baby was adjusting. _Everything's like it usually is. I just can't help but feel like I am forgetting something…_

* * *

 **A/N: So here it is! The first chapter of my new story. It is Shika/Saku, and I'm not planning to change that. This is not a typical pairing, but I like the dynamic of two of Konoha's smartest ninja in a romance. If this is not your cup of tea, give it a try anyways. If you still don't like it after a few chapters, you don't have to read it. Thanks to all who decide to give this a try.**

 **My favorite part to write was between Sakura fighting with her teammates at the training grounds, and Shikamaru explaining to his parents he invited Sakura to help out. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	2. History Diving

_Review:_

 _Turning on her left side, facing the wall her door was on. She wrapped her arm around Shadow like she usually did, and she felt Tank adjust so he was closer to her back. Closing her eyes, she felt movement up towards the top of her pillows where Baby was adjusting._ _Everything's like it usually is. I just can't help but feel like I am forgetting something…_

* * *

 **The next morning, May 4** **th**

The sound of her dogs starting to bark loudly is what Sakura woke up to. Her eyes flickered open to the sunlight filtering in through the window, and it had her blinking a few times as she sat up. "Stop barking," she told the dogs as they had already sent Baby running off the bed to get away from them. Hearing a knock on the front door, she found that was what the dogs had been barking at. Shaking her head as they started up barking again, she lazily pushed herself up, and left her bedroom to walk to the front door.

"Would you two give it a rest?" Sakura asked the dogs to get them to be quiet, as she unlocked the door and opened it. Only to be face to face with Shikamaru. Her eyes connected with his, and she stared at him in silence for a long moment. Finally her mind snapped to being fully awake, and she realized what he was doing there. "Oh shit."

At her cursing, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Good morning to you too."

Groaning, Sakura slapped a hand to her face. "I knew I was forgetting something last night. I didn't set a damn alarm," she sighed heavily in annoyance with having forgot that. She moved to push the door open the rest of the way to let him in. "Sorry, I overslept."

"It's not that big of a deal-" Shikamaru broke off as he had stepped inside, and immediately both Shadow and Tank appeared at his feet. Sniffing at the new person.

"Sorry, they do that to everyone who walks through the door," Sakura immediately apologized, pointing out the door, her eyes focused on them. "Shadow, Tank, outside!"

Shikamaru watched as both the dogs left to go outside at Sakura's command. His eyes slipped back to her, and found himself almost immediately drawn to the realization of her still dressed in her pajamas. Noticing how the shirt she wore would slide up as she reached her arms up above her head, revealing more of her abdomen. To his surprise, he felt his cheeks grow warm, and that immediately had him turn away from her before she could notice.

"You can have a seat, while I get dressed. I won't take long," Sakura said, hardly noticing him turning away, and she walked back through the living room to go down the hall to her bedroom.

Shikamaru sat down on one of the couches, having felt his cheeks feel normal again. He cursed lowly at how he did that. _It's all because of what my parents were saying last night at dinner. Why couldn't they have just not made this such a big deal? Hopefully they'll behave during breakfast this morning._ With that thought in mind, he switched his focus to observing her apartment. It was smaller, but even so, had a homey feel with how she arranged everything.

Minutes passed before her dogs came running back into her apartment. The one she called Shadow had gone straight to the hall where he guessed her bedroom was off of, and the other-Tank-had trotted over to him. Sitting down near his feet, and watching him. _Okay…_ He reached over, letting Tank sniff his hand, before petting the dog. After a moment he noticed Tank's ears relax.

The sound of Sakura's footsteps were heard, before she reappeared in the living room. Dressed in light wash jean shorts, a light red tank top, and white shoes. Shadow trailing after her. She stopped, and yawned once. Adjusting the strap of her beige bag, it's strap was long so the actual bag rested near the top of her thigh. Reaching over to scratch Baby's head, as she jumped up to her little bed on the countertop.

"Don't worry about eating," Shikamaru told Sakura, as she had walked into her kitchen that was open to the living room. He stood up from the couch, and stuck his hands in his pockets.

That had Sakura raising an eyebrow, and staring at him in silence for a moment. Finally she moved to go towards the front door. "Fine, but don't blame me when I'm a grumpy bitch later because I didn't eat anything," she told him after he walked outside with her.

That had Shikamaru smirking as he watched her turn to lock the door behind them. He didn't say anything back to her as they left to go towards the stairs.

It was quiet as they started to walk down the road. It was the crack of dawn, the sun had only just started rising within the past twenty minutes or so. The early morning fog was starting to lift. They walked in relaxed silence for a few minutes, Sakura had been mostly quiet, as she was still trying to fully wake up. The thought of being awake had her once again yawing and stretching her arms up above her head. "I'm surprised that you are more awake than I am."

Shikamaru's eyes slid over to study her. Despite the fact that she had just woke up she looked refreshed. "My mom was banging on my door at five this morning. So I've had some time to wake up."

The thought made Sakura smile and laugh. "I can only imagine. When I lived with my parents, my mom did that to me all the time. It got to the point where the only way she could wake me up was by ripping the covers off of me or turning off my fan in my room. Both of which pretty much gave me no choice but to wake up. Mind you, both options put me in a pretty bad mood, but I was still awake."

"I didn't realize you lived alone until today," Shikamaru commented after she laughed again. "I figured Ino would have probably mentioned something like that."

That had Sakura laughing once again, this time with more amusement. "Ino knew I moved. Because she was the one who helped me pick out the apartment. I guess unless it classifies as extremely personal information to me, she doesn't think it's worthy of gossip."

This had Shikamaru chuckling this time. "I guess so."

Feeling the usual ache of her stomach wanting food, Sakura started to think of how she would be wanting to eat something soon. "You know, it's a really bad idea for me to have not ate anything yet."

Sakura then started off on a long list of reasons why it was bad that she hadn't had anything to eat yet. Shikamaru listened with amusement at some of her reasons. She kept that up until they got to the Nara district. Unlike the rest of Konoha, there was a lot more people out and about.

Once turning on the street that many of the Nara's lived on, Sakura fell into silence. Her eyes taking in their surroundings. It wasn't like she just walked through the Nara's district everyday. She had only really gone there a few times when she was young, and a few more times over the past years of ninja work. But, never really just to look around.

Noticing her silence, Shikamaru's eyes cut back to his side where she was. Watching as she had been clearly observing what was around them. Her expression was full of curiosity.

"Why are there so many people awake?" Sakura asked finally after they passed many of the houses, and were nearing Shikamaru's house. "I figured that your clan would be asleep. I mean I guessed they weren't really morning people like you- uh, no offense."

"None taken," Shikamaru smirked at how she added 'no offense' so quickly to the end of her sentence. "Today is the first official day of preparations for the party and the festival. While we are doing most the work, the clan helps out with some of the stuff too. It's more of just everyone being overly cheerful about the start of what's to be two months full of work."

That brought a grin to Sakura's face at how 'work' had Shikamaru sighing with annoyance. Her thoughts went to the festival, as they finally walked inside his house. "So, are we working on festival stuff too?"

"Maybe sometime later. But, as of now, the party is our priority." Surprisingly it wasn't Shikamaru who responded, but a feminine voice coming from their right. Which was just where Shikamaru's mother was walking out from behind the countertops in the kitchen that was mainly open to the living room. She went straight to Sakura, and hugged her. "Glad that you are helping dear. I'm Yoshino."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you," Sakura replied politely, slightly surprised at the hug, but didn't show it on her face.

Shikamaru's father walked into the living room from a hallway to the left. His eyes going to Sakura, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Good morning… uh-"

"Sakura," Sakura offered him, smiling as she shook Shikamaru's dad hand.

"Right," Shikamaru's dad said, before introducing himself. "Shikaku."

"Come on," Shikamaru said, after Sakura and his dad finished their handshake. He motioned for Sakura to follow him. They walked through the living room, and to a room that was off the left side of the kitchen.

Finding they were in the dining room, as there was breakfast laid out there. _That explains why Shikamaru told me not to bother eating anything._ Sakura thought, her eyes flickering to Shikamaru. "Why couldn't you have just told me that your mom made breakfast? It would have prevented me from coming up with a long list of reasons as to why you would want your life to end from being around me when I haven't had anything to eat."

While that made his parents laugh, Shikamaru just smirked. "It didn't occur to me that it needed to be said, I'll be sure to remember that next time."

That had Sakura smile as she moved to sit down in a seat beside Shikamaru, and across from his parents. Her eyes looking over the food. "Well, everything looks lovely, and it smells wonderful."

"Thank you," his mom replied, smiling back at her.

They started to get there food then. Shikamaru's eyes flickering over to Sakura as they did that. She seemed to be settling at the table with them rather easily, as she sipped at the coffee that had been the first thing she went for. Catching himself staring at her for longer than a few glances, he finally forced his eyes to looking out the big window on the wall to his left.

"So Sakura," Shikamaru's mom started after they all got their food, and had started eating. "You work in the medical field like Ino don't you?"

Sakura nodded, as she swallowed the food in her mouth, before speaking. "Yeah. I actually started about almost six months before Ino did… Not that I'm trying to make it sound like a big deal that I started first. But it's just this competition we have had going since we were kids. So it's just natural for me to point out something like that… Not that it is anything at all relevant as to what you were asking-" She stopped to take in a deep breath, as she slapped a hand to her face. "I also have a tendency to talk a lot when I'm anxious. Which has gotten me in a hell of a lot of trouble. Especially with Tsunade. It was really bad the first few times she brought me to some of the meetings with the council- for goodness sake! I'm doing it again!"

That actually made Shikamaru's parents laugh, and Shikamaru had mustered up a smirk on his face. Letting his eyes move back over to Sakura.

"It's alright dear, nothing wrong with having something to say," Shikamaru's mom told Sakura with a warming smile on her face. "No reason to be anxious either."

That had Sakura smiling back at Yoshino. "I know I shouldn't be anxious. But unfortunately that's just a part of my brain that I can't shut off. Whenever I'm around new environments or people, I get anxious because I don't know what to expect. Which is completely and utterly annoying to me, but- I'm doing it again! Why can't I just stop talking?"

Both Shikamaru's parents laughed again, his dad speaking after he stopped. "That's why you seemed so familiar. I've seen you at council meetings. I believe it was almost three years ago that you came to your first council meeting."

Sakura nodded her head, and sipped at her coffee. "Yeah, I had just turned fifteen when Tsunade decided to let me go. I've been going to most of them ever since. The only ones I skip are the one's going on when I'm on missions or if there is an emergency at the hospital."

"That's about a year before your first council meeting, wasn't it Shikamaru?" Shikamaru's dad asked his son.

Shikamaru, understanding that his dad was trying to get on his nerves by pointing that out, just sighed at his dad. "Yeah, about a year."

Sakura smiled as her eyes went to Shikamaru. "You don't ever talk much during them. I always wonder why you don't have anything to say, but I guess it's probably expected that you'd rather be anywhere else taking a nap."

Surprisingly Shikamaru was quick to tease her back. "Actually, I would talk more, but you always do such a great job talking for everyone else."

That actually made Sakura cough as she had been drinking her coffee. Her hand flew to her mouth as she started laughing. A twinkle in her eye, as she nudged Shikamaru's side with her elbow. "Geez, can you at least wait a day or two before making your parents think I'm a bitch?" That seemed to take Sakura aback that she had said that, and slap her hand over her mouth. Her eyes on his parents. "I apologize. That was so inappropriate. What is wrong with me today?"

That completely cracked his parents up. Even Shikamaru couldn't hold back his laugh this time. He finally shook his head after he settled his laughter. "You don't have a filter either."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders at that, and dropped her hand from her mouth. "It's not my fault that I have a tendency to say what's on my mind without any thought to consequences… That's actually got me in trouble with not only Tsunade, but the elders too… they don't like me all that much. But that's more because it makes Tsunade's job harder because they complain to her about me. But, that's not really my fault."

"It's not your fault that they don't like you?" Shikamaru asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh no, that's my definitely my fault," Sakura replied, a smile on her face, clearly happy about that fact. "It's just not my fault that they keep complaining to Tsunade about it. I mean at first it just started off with me getting back at Tsunade for sending me on a ridiculous D-rank mission because she was trying to give me something to do before my next real mission a couple days from that time."

"You must have been really getting on her nerves," Shikamaru said, seeing that Sakura seemed happy at his observation.

"At this point, me being in the same room as Tsunade for more than a few minutes with nothing to do leads to her annoyed with me," Sakura replied, laughing before continuing on. "Anyway, she decided to send me to go deliver something to the elders. Mind you I was only in their house for barely two minutes before they decided to tell to me that I was apparently rude and not at all lady like. And I straight up told them that I'm sorry they felt that way, but I indeed could be polite and lady like. But since I was there against my will, a forced smile was they best they were going to get from me. By the time I got back to the Hokage office, they apparently wrote Tsunade, and told her to never send me again. Which was exactly what I wanted in the first place, but Tsunade still sends me occasionally. Just now everything's in awkward silence whenever I go."

This had the others laughing again, this time Shikamaru's mom spoke up to change the subject. "So you've trained with Tsunade since you were what? Thirteen?" She asked, seeing Sakura nod, she continued. "I've heard plenty of people say that you've surpassed her."

Like usual, whenever someone brought up her surpassing her master, Sakura laughed, as she felt awkward just thinking about it. Trying to hide it by sipping her coffee, she put a smile on her face. "Yeah I guess… I don't really talk about it that much. I don't want to come off as bragging about it."

"Well, I think for an accomplishment like that, it's okay to brag a little," Shikamaru's mom replied with a wave of her hand. "You should be proud of that."

That seemed to make Sakura's eyes widen, as she shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I am proud of it. Everything Tsunade taught me was excellent. Having her teaching me is something I will never be able to forget," she said, a warm smile on her face at the thought. "I'm aware that it's supposed to be a big deal when you finally have that moment when you surpass your teacher. But once it actually happened, I felt like going around and telling everyone wouldn't give me any kind of benefit besides bragging rights. And I'm not going to lie, when I'm joking with someone I'll brag all day, but only as a joke. I try not to otherwise."

While Sakura was talking, Shikamaru studied her. Even with his high intelligence, he was having trouble figuring out what it was about Sakura that allowed for him to tolerate her. What was it that had him jump out of bed yesterday morning, and go right to Tsunade's office to tell her that Sakura was going to work with him on the party. Then later that night tell his parents that he invited her. _To be my date…_ His thoughts trailed off as he focused back onto what Sakura was saying.

"The only people I talk about my accomplishments with is my family. But that is only because they ask for it at awkward family dinners and things like that," Sakura laughed along with the others here. "Maybe that's just me. But, I mean why talk about myself and my achievements? Especially when I can talk about things more interesting like crazy fun adventures and what's going on in the present."

"Well that's a really good quality to have Sakura," Shikamaru's mom complimented, before a new question popped into her mind. "When do you have time to work at the hospital? You must be pretty busy as it is."

"Mom," Shikamaru said, his eyes on his mother now.

"What Shikamaru?" Yoshino replied to her son, shaking her head at his look. "I'm just trying to get to know her better. We have the next two months to look forward to, and I think it's better to go ahead and get to know her."

"No, mom-"

"Shikamaru," Sakura interrupted him, laughing as her eyes connected with his. "It's fine."

Raising an eyebrow at her words, Shikamaru shook his head. "She's not getting to know you, she's practically giving you the third degree."

"Okay first," Sakura started, holding up one finger. "Technically when people use that expression, it's a euphemism for torture. I don't know about you, but questions are not what I consider to be torture. Second, it's not that big of a deal. I find that someone who asks a lot of questions is better informed, and I admire that. Because not only is that person well informed, they are great for conversation." Sakura stopped, as a smirk grew on her face. "You should probably take some notes."

The sound of Shikaku nearly choking on his coffee was heard, before he started laughing. Shikamaru only rolled his eyes at his dad's reaction, and shook his head.

Sakura, herself, focused back on Yoshino with a smile. "I work at the hospital in my free time. Which I admit, I don't usually have that much of. It's just whenever I'm not training, on missions, helping Tsunade, or spending time with my dogs."

"You have dogs?" Yoshino asked, getting back into the swing of the conversation.

"Two," Sakura confirmed with a nod, grabbing her coffee mug from the table. "They are both German Shepherds. Shadow is the oldest, and he's almost three. But he is only older by 11 months. His brother Tank was born in the second litter their mom had, and he just turned two a couple weeks ago. I also have a cat named Baby. I didn't intend to name her that, but when I first got her as a kitten, that's what I always called her, and it just stuck."

"Wow," Yoshino said, a warm smile still on her face. "You are only seventeen, and you've already got three animals. You must love them."

That made a big smile appear on Sakura's face, after she sipped her coffee. "I do, and I always have. My parents were open to adopting all kinds of dogs and cats into the family growing up. Which I took full advantage of obviously. But it did get to the point where my parents needed to tell me to cool it, because it was border lining ridiculous on just how many animals I would bring home," she paused to sip her coffee again, and set it down. "So I did slow down, but I still brought home stray's all the time. My parents were okay with taking care of them for until I could find them new homes. I was about thirteen when they said that, and I think I've probably saved at least twenty eight cats and dogs over the past five years."

"So your parents made an exception for your animals now then?" Yoshino asked.

"I actually live alone now," Sakura replied after swallowing the bite of fruit in her mouth. "I first got Shadow a little before I moved into my apartment. My parents knew I was moving officially before they'd agree to bring Shadow in."

"You live alone?" Shikamaru's mom asked, sounding rather surprised at that news.

"Mom," Shikamaru started, feeling like that was going too far into Sakura's personal life. But to his surprise Sakura shook her head at him, and smiled.

"It's fine Shikamaru," Sakura told hi, focusing her eyes on his mom again. "Growing up we had a house in the Land of Rivers. We were there all the time whenever we didn't need to be here in the village. When I was fourteen my parents got the idea to move there permanently, but with how much I had on plate with my training with Tsunade, along with working at the hospital, moving wasn't really in my cards. They put it off for a while until I become a chunin a little before my fifteenth birthday. They brought it up again, but at that point I really wanted to stay here in the village."

"That's understandable," Shikamaru's mom said clearly interested in learning more about Sakura. "Everything in your life was here at that point."

"I guess… I could see that my parents would sacrifice moving to stay for me. But, by that time, I was fifteen, a chunin, almost done with my training with Tsunade, and I had a steady stream of income from what I did for the village. Even though I didn't want them to leave, I knew it would be selfish to ask them to stay just for me. So I told them to go. I justified it as saying that I've had fifteen years of their attention, and that seemed like fair enough for them," Sakura paused, and grew a smile on her face. "Sure, I don't really understand how the relationship between a parent a child works from both points of view. But one time I ended up stuck in this wooden prison Captain Yamato put me and my team in because we were fighting so much. We were in there for two whole days, and the only reason they let us out is because I was losing it, and was close to killing my teammates because they were getting on my nerves. The only reason they did let us out, is because I actually attempted to kill them… If that is even remotely close to what my parents had felt, I don't know how they put up with me for so long. I am such a brat."

That had the others laughing, Sakura just continued on. "After I moved into my new apartment, I helped my parents move into the other house, and there I had adopted Tank because that's the area where the woman I got Shadow from lived in. I brought Tank home. It wasn't even that much later that I adopted Baby as well. That was about a little over a year and a half ago that I adopted them both. With them and Shadow, it's kind of like I don't really live alone. Which my mom actually says is kind offensive that I don't that I don't miss her and my dad that much. But, I told her I still love all of their furbabies just as much as I love mine here… which she still didn't find that funny."

That made Shikamaru's mom laugh. "Well, you should bring your dogs by sometime. We haven't ever pets around here," she said, taking a sip of her coffee, as she seemed to be satisfied with Sakura's background. "Now, let's talk about what you and Shikamaru will be doing today. I want to keep it simple since it's the first day. So all you two need to do today is learn about the history behind the clan party."

Hearing this had Sakura raising an eyebrow. Her eyes slid to Shikamaru, and then back to his mother. "Shouldn't Shikamaru know about that already?"

That made his mother smile. "You would think so. But with how much avoiding he's done of attending these parties every year, he probably knows just about as much as you do."

Sakura laughed along with Yoshino. "Alright, well just incase he decides to start avoiding again, I better pay attention for the both of us."

Yoshino and Shikaku both laughed again. "All you two need to do is research what's been going on in the past one or two parties we've had. Just to get an idea of how things work. Once Shikamaru starts slacking off, you'll probably have to explain everything again to him," she explained, sipping her coffee again, and smiling at how Sakura laughed. Her eyes then caught sight of how her son was looking at Sakura out of the corner of his eye. Noticing how just barely the corners of his mouth turned upward at the sound of Sakura's laughter. _Interesting…_ "Yeah, so Shikamaru can take you to the room we've cleared for you two to work in once we finish breakfast."

 **After breakfast**

After clearing the table, Shikamaru started leading Sakura through the living room to a small hallway. It led to one single staircase that would lead up to two rooms. One being the attic, and the other was a work room. Shikamaru had started up the stairs first, and sighed as he did. "Sorry about my mom."

"What for?" Sakura questioned, an eyebrow raised as she watched the back of Shikamaru's head. "She's nice, I like her."

Shikamaru paused on the middle of the staircase, and looked back at Sakura. "You like be interrogated?"

Sakura smiled at how he phrased it. "Well she certainly had her questions, but it really didn't bother me. I can be the same way. At least when she did it, it was nice. When I do it, it's like I actually am interrogating someone. Which while most people consider that a bad thing, I've actually got a lot information of people that way, even if they are slightly afraid of me by the time I'm done. It has been really helpful."

Shikamaru chuckled at how her smile grew as she talked. "You seem so happy about that."

"Oh I am," Sakura replied as they continued up the stairs. "I have a lot of pride in scaring people. It's what I live for."

That made Shikamaru chuckle again as he shook his head. _She's something else._ They reached the top of the stairs, and he opened the door to the right, and that led them into a spacious room. Big windows on two walls of the room. One showing the Hokage monuments, and the other the direction the front of the village was in "My mom cleaned up a lot of what was in here before. This will be where we are doing most of the planning."

Sakura moved over towards the window that gave the view of the full road of Nara houses, and much further on the front gates of the village. She turned to cross the room to the windows that showed them the distant view of the Hokage monuments, and it made her smile.

Remaining standing over by the door, Shikamaru found himself watching Sakura as she looked out the windows. She seemed to radiate light no matter what she was doing. After watching her for a moment longer, he cleared his throat, and stuck his hands in his pockets. "You don't have to worry about your team… for the time being at least."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, turning to face away from the windows to look at Shikamaru.

"After you left Tsunade's office yesterday, I talked to Tsunade about keeping what we are doing on the down from our teams for a while. So that way we can focus better on this without being interrupted by our teams," Shikamaru started to explain, taking one hand out of his pockets to rub the back of his neck. "After seeing you and your team yesterday, I can see why you might need a little help. They are persistent."

It was quiet for a moment, as Sakura understood what he did for her. Finally she opened her mouth to speak after another moment in silence. "You didn't have to, but thank you." It was a soft spoken sentence, which was odd for Sakura, but showed how genuine she was.

It was quiet as they stared at each other in silence. Finally Shikamaru moved over to one of the desk's in the room, picking up some of the files his mother left out for them. "Okay, so all we have to do is look over some stuff from the past parties."

That made Sakura laugh as she walked over to him. "I still find it funny how you don't know all this stuff already."

"I've just never been interested in it," Shikamaru replied, letting his eyes go to her. "Not that I'm interested in it now. As you already know, I'm being forced against my will to do this."

Again Sakura laughed at his words, and she crossed her arms. "How many would you say you actually attended?"

"I mean I go to all of them," Shikamaru replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Sakura smiled, and shook her head at his answer. "Well you say you go to all of them, but I'm asking how many have you actually attended. Like, as in, for more than ten minutes."

"Up until about age six I stayed at all of them, but that's only because I wasn't required to go to the dinner or the ball as I was too young, but I did have to go to the festival. Once I was six, I was in the academy, so I was at an age where I was getting better at hiding from my parents. Which I started to do every time this came around each year. Then when I got to fifteen, my parents wanted me to attend the party and ball then. So I had to get a bit more creative in avoiding them," Shikamaru grew a smirk on his face then. "So I guess, to answer your question, I didn't really attend any of them, as the one's when I was six shouldn't count since I didn't even go to the main parts of the party."

Sakura laughed at his honest answer. "Well, I guess this will be a first time experience for both of us," she declared, as she moved to set her bag down. "Let's get started."

 **An hour later**

Shikamaru had been cutting his eyes over to Sakura every once in a while as they had been looking into the files his mother left out. They had worked mostly in silence, and it had been at least twenty minutes since the last time he looked over in her direction. So when he looked over this time, his eyes widened at the sight. "What exactly are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, looking up from what she was reading, and over to Shikamaru.

"Why do you have all that out?" Shikamaru asked, his eyes focusing on what was going on around her. She had almost every single thing in the files laid out on the ground around her. Papers, pictures, and other small things.

"Because it's interesting," Sakura replied like it was obvious.

With that being her only answer, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You are actually enjoying this…"

Sighing at how the sound of judgment was behind Shikamaru's tone, Sakura smiled at him. "Don't judge me. I like things that have history behind them. I've always been like that… I like learning about new things." With that said, she motioned for him to come over.

Although he usually wouldn't care to understand something like this, but her fascination with it was intriguing to him. So Shikamaru stood up, walked over to her, and knelt down beside her.

Sakura started by pointing at a few things. "I've got the past five years here, and if you look at it you can distinguish things that are different from each party. But also things that stay the same. Some things are common in all parties, which just makes me wonder if those things are traditions that are done at every party, or if they are just random similarities. But it's also interesting to think of just how much has changed from this past years party to what a party would have been like five years before that."

Eyeing everything she had laid out, Shikamaru rested his arms on his knees, and remained there in silence. After a moment, he looked to her, seeing her eyes were focused down on the papers. "I bet if we looked even farther back, there's probably things we couldn't imagine that took place during these parties."

Sakura's eyes flickered over to meet Shikamaru's eyes. "Really? Just how long has your clan thrown this party?"

"I think around seventy years," Shikamaru replied after a moment of thinking. "We should have more records from old parities in the attic." He stood up then. Surprisingly finding what Sakura had found interesting in this party. "We can go find them."

"Okay, cool," Sakura said, getting up from the floor, and going after Shikamaru to leave the room to go to the attic.

 **A couple hours later**

It was just past noon when Shikamaru's mom was opening the door from where it was cracked. However, as soon as she did, her eyes widened at the sight. "What is going on here?"

All over the floor was scrolls, books, papers, folders of more papers, and pictures. Towards the middle of it all was Shikamaru, and a little farther away was Shikamaru. Sakura was the first to speak, as her eyes met Yoshino's. "This is all the stuff we could find on the history of the Nara party. Some of the books were in here on the bookshelves."

"But, we found most of this stuff in the attic," Shikamaru added, his eyes going to his mother as well. "Did you know all this stuff was in there?"

"I did…" Shikamaru's mother trailed off, as she looked around. "Why did you two bring it all out?"

"It's interesting," Sakura started.

"There are years of traditions and things that get passed down from each party," Shikamaru elaborated. "It's interesting to see the transitions between each party. We only have the records up until thirty years ago when the parties were run by dad's parents-"

"Which is odd," Sakura cut in, looking down at a scroll in her hand. "Because the whole clan party started almost seventy years ago from what Shikamaru was saying. So he figured there should be records going all the way back to his great, great grandparents running the party. But we couldn't find them."

Shikamaru nodded, as both he and Sakura looked back at his mother. "We were going to go back and look through the attic again."

It was silent in the room as Yoshino stared at her son and Sakura. Finally she focused solely on her son. "Don't get me wrong, I love that you are suddenly interested in learning about the clan party Shikamaru, as the past week you have complained nonstop. But, when I said to get knowledgeable about the clan party, I meant only maybe the past year or two parties that we've had. Not up to thirty years worth of parties, certainly not the seventy years total."

Shikamaru and Sakura were both silent, and finally Shikamaru spoke first. "Just being thorough mom."

Hearing that made Yoshino laugh. Even more at the sight of Sakura nodding her head in agreement. "Well, you two can take a break from your history diving, and come and eat lunch. That is, if you can make it to the door."

That seemed to make both Sakura and Shikamaru realize just how much stuff they had laid out on the floor surrounding them. Shikamaru looked to Sakura first. "I guess we got so caught up in doing this, we didn't realized we were practically trapping ourselves in here."

Sakura caught Shikamaru's eyes, before she carefully moved to stand up. Propping her hands on her hips. "We can do this no problem."

"If you say so," Shikamaru said, standing up as well, and pointing out what looked like a good enough path for them to take to the door. A very narrow path.

Sakura went first, tiptoeing with light feet over the small pathway. However, without much warning, she started laughing, causing her balance to completely mess up.

Shikamaru, who was walking right behind Sakura, grabbed her wrist to keep her from tumbling over. "What are you laughing about?"

"I don't know," Sakura replied back through her laughter, trying to calm herself down. "I don't react well when I'm supposed to be serious."

Shaking his head at Sakura's laughing again, he let go of her wrist, and pointed towards the door. "Keep walking, you can laugh when you are not at risk of messing all of our stuff up." Even as he sounded serious, he couldn't help but let a small smile appear on his face.

Sakura started back forward again, it wasn't until they finally made it to the door, that she laughed again. "Made it, like I thought we would," Sakura said, actually getting Shikamaru to high-five her.

"Even though you almost didn't make it," Shikamaru pointed out, smirking at Sakura sticking out her tongue at him.

Laughing at the two, Shikamaru shook her head, and turned to leave the room and go to the stairs. "Come on you two."

After they went downstairs to begin eating lunch, Shikamaru's mom explained to her husband what she found when she had gone upstairs to tell Shikamaru and Sakura that lunch was ready.

They were almost finished eating after Shikamaru's mother finished up speaking. And as soon as she finished speaking, Sakura spoke up. "It's really interesting," Sakura started to explain. "I like learning about things like this. The historical aspect behind the clan party intrigues me."

"I didn't really see that at first," Shikamaru added, motioning to Sakura. "Then once she showed me a few years back, it became interesting. Being able to see the differences and similarities between the parties that is. We just need to find the earlier forty years of the party."

"Probably in the library," Shikamaru's father suggested, amused at seeing how interested the two were about it. "We usually only keep five or ten years or so of the most recent parties here. I guess we are slacking off a bit on transferring the older documents over to the library."

"That's true," Sakura said, as her eyes met Shikamaru's. "It would make sense that they'd be there."

"We can go if you want," Shikamaru suggested to her.

"That's fine with me," Sakura agreed.

"You know," Shikaku started, getting his son and Sakura to look at him. "This stuff might be in the restricted section, a lot of business goes on at these parties."

"It's okay if it is," Sakura replied, getting the others to look at her. "I have access to it. One of the perks of being Tsunade's apprentice. Plus, even if I didn't have access, it's really not that difficult to break in there…" she trailed off, as her eyes went to Shikamaru's parents. "Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything."

While that made his parents laugh, Shikamaru just smirked. "Okay, well do you want to go now?"

Sakura nodded, but paused in moving to get up. "Can we go to my apartment first? I have to let Shadow and Tank out."

"Yeah I guess so," Shikamaru agreed, as both he and Sakura got up, and went into the kitchen to go put their dishes in the sink.

"You know," Shikamaru's mom started as she and her husband followed them into the kitchen. "You two really don't need to go to all this trouble."

Shikamaru looked back at his mom after going to slip his shoes on. "I mean you said to learn about the history mom."

Sakura, more unsteadily slipping on her shoes, just caught herself by resting her hand on the arm of the couch. "We don't even mind the extra work."

Shikamaru nods, reaching over and resting a hand on Sakura's arm to help her balance to put on her other shoe. "Yeah, we don't mind mom."

"Okay," Yoshino spoke after a moment. Watching Sakura and Shikamaru as they both left the house. Waiting until they were out of sight, then she laughed. "It's interesting seeing Shikamaru so involved in something. Just this morning he didn't have any interest in working on this party at all."

Shikaku smirked at his wife, and shrugged his shoulders. "It looks like he got his mind changed."

That had Yoshino smiling, as she nodded once. "It appears so."

 **Later that day, five o'clock**

"We've been gone for nearly five hours."

Sakura's eyes flickered over to Shikamaru, before going back to focusing on where they were walking. "Well we spent at least forty five minutes at my apartment when I was letting my dogs go out."

"Still, that's over four hours we spent in the library," Shikamaru said, as they walked through the Nara compound.

"I've spent nearly an entire full day in the library multiple times," Sakura replied, crossing her arms over her chest. Holding the notebook they filled up with information against her chest. "Actually the longest I've spent my time in the library was three days, but that was because Tsunade wouldn't teach me something, so I decided to learn it by myself in the library. Which I did learn it. However, it ended with her being really mad at me. Because apparently she was trying to teach me patience, and I epically failed at that."

Shikamaru laughed, and shook his head at Sakura. They just got to his house, and were walking up on the front porch. "That's not that hard to believe."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sakura asked, laughing as she stopped Shikamaru from opening the front door. "I'm actually really patient."

"Well from what I've seen," Shikamaru started, smirking at her raised eyebrow. "Remember what happened yesterday? It took you all of fifty seconds to tackle Naruto to the ground after he had simply just told you to stop looking at him."

Sakura's happy expression dropped off her face then, as she grumpily crossed her arms. "He was asking for it."

Shikamaru shook his head at Sakura's words, and opened the door to his house. They both walked inside. "Patient is not a word to describe you. I'd use words like-"

"Awesome? Fun? Kick ass?" Sakura offered, her smile back on her face.

That had Shikamaru laughing. "Sure, let's go with that."

"You want to hear some words that I think describe you?" Sakura asked, laughing at Shikamaru's immediate shaking of his head.

"Not particularly," Shikamaru replied, smirking as his eyes went away from Sakura. Finding his dad over on one of the bar stools. His mom was over by the kitchen counters, washing her hands.

"You two have been gone quite a while," Shikamaru's mom started, smiling as she turned off the water.

Shikamaru's dad looked over at them as well. "Find what you were looking for?"

"Yeah," Sakura replied right away, slipping off her shoes by the door, as she held up the notebook she had clutched against her chest moments before. "We took notes."

Shikamaru kicked off his shoes, and followed Sakura closer towards the kitchen counters. "Did you know that the very first ever party there were guests ranging from some of the most wealthy people in this land to the pirates that most believed were myths? They would sail the waters around the islands. Only coming on the mainland here for certain events. Our clan party being one of them."

"I didn't know that…" Shikamaru's mother trailed off, a smile on her face.

"And when the parties first started the wardrobe that was worn is like a complete 180 twist from what we would wear today. They used to have such a strict dress code to attend the party, and it was like full suits for men, and these crazy big dresses for women," Sakura added, flicking through their notebook as she walked closer to the kitchen before showing his mom the sketch she had drew of the dresses. "It's rough, but that's the idea."

"Wow, that's pretty good," Shikamaru's mom admired.

Pouring a glass of water, Shikamaru's eyes went over to the sketch. "When did you draw that?"

That had Sakura shrugging, as she closed the notebook. "Just while I was looking at some of the pictures. It's not that spectacular. Drawing is not my thing." Her eyes went to Shikamaru then. "We should probably go and put up all that stuff together that we got out earlier."

"Yeah, I have a feeling my mom was about to say something about cleaning that up," Shikamaru replied, smirking at his mom nodding.

"You read my mind," Yoshino said, making them all laugh.

 **An hour later, six thirty**

"It took you two that long to clean that room?"

"No," Shikamaru replied to his mom, glancing over to Sakura. She was sitting on the opposite side of the couch from him, and they had only been downstairs for barely two minutes. "We spent most of the time putting all our research into one folder. That way we wouldn't have to look all over the place."

"And don't worry," Sakura continued where he left off. A smile on her face, directed towards his parents. "We did deeper research on the more recent years of the party. We're not actually planning to throw it back to seventy years ago for this party." She laughed at that thought. "There isn't enough money in this world to have me even go near one of those dresses that those women used to wear."

Both Yoshino and Shikaku laughed at Sakura's words, and a smirk grew across Shikamaru's face. Yoshino was the first to stop her laughter, after eyeing the clock. "Oh my. It's already almost six thirty. I should probably start on dinner. I didn't want to start this late."

Straightening up, Sakura's eyes went to the clock as well. "I didn't realize how late it's getting. The whole day just went by…" she trailed off, as she stood up. "I should probably get home."

"Oh no dear," Yoshino started, almost immediately waving her hand in a motion to stop Sakura. "You should stay for dinner. You've been working all day, and it's the least we could do."

Pausing from where she was grabbing the strap of her bag, Sakura offered a smile to Shikamaru's mom. "I really don't want to impose. I'm fine going home. Really."

Yoshino seemed to grow a much bigger smile on her face at that. "It's not any trouble at all. You are more than welcome."

Shikamaru, having noticed his mom's big smile, reached over to grab Sakura's wrist to get her attention. "Just say yes. She's got that look on her face that means she won't be taking 'no' for an answer." He murmured softly to her with a swift nod of his head.

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura finally sighed, and smiled back at Yoshino. "Alright," she agreed, setting her bag back down, and propping her hands on her hips. "Do you need any help with anything?"

"Sure," Yoshino started, motioning for Sakura to follow her over to the kitchen area.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru got up to move over to sit on cross-legged on the floor in front of the low ground table. It was by the window, and gave a view of the front yard, and the front direction of the village. A shogi board on the table, not set up to play. His eyes left the board to focus on the sun outside. It would start to set soon.

Shikaku came over to sit on the other side of the small table. Although he wasn't focused on his son, but on talking to his wife. Saying something about how he didn't really care what they had for dinner. Just whatever she wanted.

Drowning out his parents conversation, Shikamaru began to focus on the reflection on the window. It was of Sakura. She had just pulled her hair up in a small bun on the top of her head, and was washing her hands. He noticed a small piece from her bangs fall in her face, and her attempts at getting it out of the way were not really successful. He could tell that seemed to irritate her. Gaining a small smile from him. His eyes flickered to his dad when his dad started to set up the board for a shogi game. They had barely started to play when Shikamaru began to find his focus wavering from the game. Starting to listen to Sakura as she talked to his mom. The sound of Sakura's laughter going up in the air, had his eyes occasionally flickering away from the board and in the direction of the kitchen. But he didn't really mind the distraction.

Unknown to Shikamaru, his dad had been watching his son more than the game. He watched Shikamaru's eyes travel over to the kitchen each time Sakura would laugh. _She's different. Something about her is, because my son's not one to look away from a game of shogi._ A small smile appeared on Shikaku's face, as he prepared to make the next move on the shogi board.

 **A few hours later, a little past nine**

"Alright, here is a list of what you two need to be focusing on getting done over the next couple of weeks," Yoshino started, handing the list over to her son, then she started collecting the dishes from dinner.

"Oh," Sakura said, moving to stand up as well. "Let me help you-"

"It's alright," Shikaku told her, motioning for her to sit back down, as he helped his wife with the remainder of the dishes.

After gathering the dishes, Shikaku and Yoshino moved into the kitchen. Yoshino started the water in the sink to rinse the dishes off. Occasionally she would turn her head to glance into the dining room. After a couple minutes of occasional glances, she finally stopped all together, and kept her eyes on the dining room. She was in the right spot to see both Sakura and her son clearly. She watched as Shikamaru pointed something out on the list, saying something about it. Then Sakura started laughing, as she took the paper from him while shaking her head. Surprising to Yoshino she noticed Shikamaru's mouth turn upwards in a small smile.

"What are you thinking?" Shikaku asked, having watched his wife watching their son and Sakura.

"I didn't think Shikamaru would go along with any of this let alone the part about inviting a girl to be his date," Yoshino replied after a moment. "I thought he'd ignore that part completely."

"I did too," Shikaku agreed.

Smiling then, Yoshino turned back to the dishes. "Come to find out the first thing he did was invite a girl, and the girl he invites seems to be one he gets along with."

Nodding his head once, Shikaku grunted. "I caught him watching her as she was helping with dinner earlier. She's definitely something special if she even remotely catches his attention."

In the dining room, Sakura finally stopped her laughing. Folding up the list that was only six items long, she stood up from the table. "It's getting late. I think I'm going to head home."

"I'll walk with you," Shikamaru spoke almost immediately. Standing up from the table as well.

"You don't have to," Sakura replied, walking out of the dining room, and over to pick up her bag.

Following Sakura out of the dining room, Shikamaru eyed the back of Sakura's head. "I don't mind."

This had Sakura sighing, as she finally looked back at Shikamaru. "Fine," she agreed, then she turned more towards his parents. "Thank you for letting me stay for dinner. Everything was really good."

"No thanks needed," Yoshino replied, smiling wide at Sakura. "It was nice to have you."

Shikaku nodded along with his wife. "It was."

Leaving the house then, Shikamaru and Sakura started away from the Nara compound. Walking down the rather dim lit streets of Konoha, with the occasional light post here and there.

"You didn't have to walk with me," Sakura started speaking after a moment in silence. Her eyes flickering over to Shikamaru. "I've walked all around this village at night before."

Instead of replying right away back to Sakura, Shikamaru just shrugged. Sticking his hands in his pockets, as his eyes swept up to the sky. "It's not a big deal."

Hearing that brought a smile to Sakura's face. Focusing back forward, she crossed her arms over her chest. _I don't really mind I guess. The company isn't too bad._ Following Shikamaru's lead, her eyes moved upwards to look at the starry sky. _Today went by pretty quickly. Maybe these two months won't be that bad after all._

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it everyone! The second chapter for Sweet Serendipity is done! I'm really excited for what's to come in this story, and I hope you all are enjoying it too. My favorite scene was when Shikamaru's mom(Yoshino) walked into their room to see them with all the papers spread out everywhere. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	3. Spacing Out

_Review:_

 _Instead of replying right away back to Sakura, Shikamaru just shrugged. Sticking his hands in his pockets, as his eyes swept up to the sky. "It's not a big deal."_

 _Hearing that brought a smile to Sakura's face. Focusing back forward, she crossed her arms over her chest. I don't really mind I guess. The company isn't too bad. Following Shikamaru's lead, her eyes moved upwards to look at the starry sky. Today went by pretty quickly. Maybe these two months won't be that bad after all._

* * *

 **The next day, Tuesday**

Having finished breakfast almost half an hour ago, they were all settled in the living room. Shikaku was focusing on the shogi board that he was setting up, across the room from the others. Shikamaru was, against his will, sitting with his mom and Sakura instead of playing with his dad.

"Okay," Yoshino started speaking, having finished writing something down on her pad of paper. "We need a theme. Any ideas?"

"Why does there have to be a theme?" Shikamaru questioned, looking away from the shogi board his dad was setting up to his mom. "And more importantly, why is it such a big deal?"

"Because, it's to keep it from being repetitive each year Shikamaru," his mom shot back, as she looked to Sakura. She could already guess that Sakura would most likely be the only help in this part of the planning. "Ideas?"

"Well last year's theme was darker for the official party on the first day, and darker colors were a strong point throughout the festival and ball as well. So maybe we should switch it to lighter colors this year," Sakura suggested, having had the notebook and the folder with the history of the parties that she and Shikamaru filled up yesterday. The page that had all the details of the last part was where she had opened the notebook up to.

Yoshino nodded in agreement. "Alright, light colors it is."

"I think white is a good base color for the party on the first day," Sakura started, having been putting thought into this idea over breakfast. "We can have it outside, since last years was inside. Maybe at... at the big garden area in the district. We can balance out the white with some green plants and have some flowers. The flowers can be mostly white, and we can just add an occasional random color of flower to give it a pop of color here and there. Lighting wise we should stick with some traditional black lanterns, and maybe have a few parts of the centerpieces on the table be black as well as having the green vines and flowers. Oh, maybe instead of having the flowers being the main part of the centerpiece, we can have black lantern in the middle, and then craft around it with the flowers and vines."

"That's a good idea," Yoshino agreed, having been writing as Sakura was speaking.

Sakura looked to Shikamaru, to find his eyes had been on her already. "What do you think?"

Shikamaru just watched Sakura, kind of surprised at all of that had just come out of her mouth. "That you switched places with Ino for the day. How did you even come up with all of that on the spot?"

Sakura grabbed the notebook off the table, and lightly smacked Shikamaru's shoulder with it. "Okay one, just because Ino and I are competitive doesn't mean we don't have some similar likes. I am very creative, thank you very much. And two, I wasn't asking you how you felt about my apparently sudden creativity, I was asking about what you thought about the theme. Stay on track Shikamaru."

That had Shikamaru's dad smirking from over by the shogi board. "I can already tell you that everything you just said about the theme probably went right over his head. This isn't his style to be so involved."

Shikamaru, who was rubbing his arm from where she hit him, nodded in agreement with his dad. "Yeah, my dad's right. Can I just go over there-"

"No!" Both his mom and Sakura interrupted him. Yoshino speaking more. "You have to start getting involved in these things Shikamaru. Eventually in a few years or so, this party is going to be your responsibility entirely."

That made Shikamaru sigh, and drop his head on the table. "Don't remind me. I'm already dreading it."

"Oh please," Sakura laughed at Shikamaru's dread-filled tone. "I picture that even when it is your time to be responsible for the party, you'll probably just give all the responsibility to whoever you get married to. The only thing you'll end up doing is just showing up when the week of the party happens."

Shikaku laughed along with Sakura. "She just told your future, son."

Shikamaru grumbled something incoherently, before sitting back up. Propping his head on his hand, he sighed. "Can we just finish this already? I don't care what the theme is."

Yoshino laughed. Her eyes sweeping over to Sakura. "So sticking with the light theme, during the week I was thinking we can have some color there. A different theme each day to give the visitors we have something new to look forward to each day."

"Hmmm," Sakura hummed in thought. "Okay, if we're doing colors, we should do something that we can tie to the entertainment and the activities during each day of the festival… since there is five days of the festival, we can do five different colors… the five elements. One each day. We can do it starting with water, then air, then lightning, earth, and the end with fire. That way on the fifth day we can do something fun like fireworks."

Yoshino nodded, and wrote that down. "Then for the ball, that's when we should really have something interesting to put in for the theme."

"I noticed in past parties there were themes but they all follow each other in a way of just kind of reflecting the first day. Instead of doing that this time instead of white we can do black… and gold. But more focus on gold and maybe white to be the colors we use, and black can just be like the stand out color. That way we can have it be fun decorations, but keep it traditional with the tux's and dresses. Maybe even up the dress code a bit dress wise to allow the women and men to coordinate with the theme. I can see it now, sparkly dresses, feathers, all of that."

"That's perfect," Yoshino agreed, writing it down. Looking over their ideas, she nodded once more. "Okay, it looks like we've got a theme. I've already started working on a rough guest list from what we had last year, but most of the guests that usually attend are on a different list somewhere upstairs. So you two can get to work on that in a little while. We also need to get invitation designs, as those need to be sent out by either the end of this week or the beginning of the next."

"Oh, can I cover the invitation designs?" Sakura asked, moving to stand up from the couch when Shikamaru's mom nodded.

Shikamaru finally paying attention at her moving. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to consult with one of the best artists I know, and I also want to go get Shadow and Tank. I'm going to bring them to the Inuzuka's to hang out for the rest of the day so they won't be stuck inside," Sakura replied, slipping her bag on over her shoulders. "I'll be back in a couple hours or so."

Watching Sakura slip on her shoes next, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Is this your way of getting out of finding the guest list?"

Sakura smiled at Shikamaru's question, and shook her head at him. "Don't give me that. You didn't help at all with planning the theme."

"I was sitting here wasn't I?" Shikamaru countered.

"Not the same thing," Sakura replied with a laugh, as she moved to leave. "You can find the guest list, and start working on that while I'm gone."

"This isn't fair!" Shikamaru called over to her, as she had walked out the front door.

"Suck it up Shikamaru!" Was the last thing Sakura said, before she closed the door. Her laughter was heard, as she walked off the porch.

Her words had Shikaku and Yoshino laughing, and Shikamaru shaking his head. However, he found himself watching through the large glass windows. His eyes following Sakura until he could no longer see her.

 **Sakura's POV**

"We're going to make a stop first boys," Sakura talked to her dogs, as she walked up the next flight of stairs. The dogs clearly recognized the building they were at, as they were already trotting over to the door Sakura was heading towards. Opening the door, Sakura let the dogs in first, before stepping inside.

"Of course it's you," the voice of Hinata was heard, before she appeared walking out of the kitchen. Just in time to watch Shadow and Tank jump up on the couch, her eyes went to Sakura, and she sighed. "Hello Sakura. Thank you for inviting yourself into my apartment."

"Well," Sakura started, moving over to sit on the couch opposite to the one Shadow and Tank had made themselves comfortable on. She kicked her feet up on the coffee table after slipping off her shoes. "You always hate it when I knock."

"No," Hinata disagreed, rolling her eyes and smirking back at Sakura. "YOU hate it when I knock on YOUR door. Not the other way around."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura shot back, as she reached in her bag and pulled out the list she and Shikamaru's mom had been making for the theme for the Nara party. "I need a favor. And it involves your expert artist skills."

"And that's what I was waiting for. You need something," Hinata said, shaking her head, and sighing. "Hold on." She turned and went back into the kitchen. Coming back out a moment later with two cups of tea in hand. Setting both down, pushing Sakura's feet off the coffee table, before sitting down on the floor beside it and looking at the list. "What am I looking at-"

"Oh that's disappointing," Sakura said seeing the tea, but picking it up anyways. "I thought you were bringing me alcohol."

"It's not even noon yet," Hinata shot back, not even giving Sakura a glance. Tank had jumped down from the couch to lay on the floor right beside her. Snuggling his head on her lap, as his tail thumped on the carpet. She began to pet him as she continued looking over the list. "Now, what am I looking at?"

"You are looking at what's the start of my next two months," Sakura replied, smirking at Hinata's look. "Oh yeah. So you know how Shikamaru and I were summoned to the Hokage's office a couple days ago?"

 **Almost two hours later**

Looking up at the blue sky, brought a smile to Sakura's was on her way back to the Nara compound from the Inuzuka's, where she had just dropped her dogs off. Her eyes had been focused up at the sky almost since she left. _A cloudless sky. It already feels like Summer-_ Stopping mid-thought, she slowed down her walking. Her eyes cutting around her. Trying to make it look casual and less suspicious, she paused at a stall in the market. Picking up an apple, as if she was going to buy it. Her eyes swept around herself.

 _Someone's following me._ The feeling of being followed was strong enough to catch her attention. But, it seemed that once she stopped, whoever it was, appeared to be gone. Nothing looked out of place or even remotely suspicious to her. Unable to find anything after another moment, her eyes went to the owner of the stall in the market. Pulling a dollar out of her bag, she handed it over. "Keep the change." She told the woman, a warm smile on her face.

"Thank you, the apple has already been washed, so it's ready to eat," the woman replied cheerfully. "Have a nice day."

"You too," Sakura replied, slightly distracted as she turned to keep walking. Turning the apple around in her hand, as she walked. _Maybe I was just imagining things. Or I wasn't._ The rest of the way to the Nara compound seemed completely normal. No longer feeling like she was being followed, but mentally that wasn't enough to convince herself that she had just simply imagined it.

Back at the Nara's, she walked right inside at the motion of his mom to come in instead of knocking. Shikaku was still by the table with the shogi board, and Shikamaru was laying back on the couch. Eyes closed. Seeing this, Sakura frowned, and walked right over, she dropped her notebook right on top of his face. "Wake up."

That was enough to slightly startle Shikamaru awake. The notebook sliding off his face onto his chest, his eyes went straight to Sakura. "What the hell?"

"Shikamaru," his mom said his name with a scolding tone at his cursing. His father-on the other hand-just laughed.

Shikamaru, pushed himself to sit up, and his eyes remained on Sakura. "Why did you do that?"

Sakura, slipped her bag off her shoulders, she dropped it on the floor by the couch, and moved to sit down. "Don't act so mad about it. You should be glad I didn't take it a step further, and straight up push you off the couch and onto the floor. That's how my teammates and I wake each other up."

"No wonder why you and your teammates don't get along," Shikamaru grumbled, rubbing the back of his head, and picking up the notebook with his other hand. "Any particular reason why you dropped this on my face?"

"Go to the page that has the paper sticking out of it. It's the invitation sketch, and you need to look at it to see if you like it," Sakura replied, leaning back against the cushions on the couch, and biting into her apple.

Shikamaru sighed, as he started flipping pages. "I think it's already established that I don't really care about all that stuff."

Sakura chewed the bit of apple she had in her mouth, swallowed, then laughed. "Shikamaru, what did I say yesterday? This party is practically a first for the both of us considering you haven't really attended any before. I mean you have, but not really. So it's decided that both of us have to participate in everything, and enjoy it."

"I never agreed to that," Shikamaru pointed out, completely stopping in flipping to the pages.

Smiling back at Shikamaru, Sakura shrugged. "Okay, so I decided that both of us have to participate and enjoy it. So you should probably get on with the whole participating and enjoying it part before you have to suffer the consequences."

Raising an eyebrow in Sakura's direction, Shikamaru frowned. "Suffer the… What consequences?"

"I don't think I'm going to tell you. You can find that out when it happens, but I will tell you that you aren't going to like them one bit," Sakura replied, laughing, before growing a mischievous smile on her face. "After getting stuck being around males most of my life, whether it be through ninja work, or in my family, I have had to learn a lot of ways to stand my ground against them. And I can tell you from the experience I've had; I play dirty. So you don't have any chance at defending yourself against anything I come up with."

It went quiet in the room, as Shikamaru stared at Sakura. "I can't tell if you are being serious or not." _Which is odd, because I'm usually pretty good at reading people._

Sakura smirked back at Shikamaru. "I don't advise it, but if you really want to test me, go for it."

Again with the silence. Shikamaru finally looked back at the notebook, and flipped through the pages a lot quicker than he was before. "This whole enjoying this thing is going to take a few days to get used to, so I'd appreciate if you'd hold back on attacking me in my sleep for at least that much time."

Sakura laughed along with his parents at that. "We'll see."

Shikamaru got to the invitation then, and was surprised to find it wasn't bad at all. "This actually is pretty good. Who did you get to do it? And this amount of time?"

"I'm not going to tell you who, because I'm sworn to secrecy," Sakura replied rather dramatically, but she laughed at Shikamaru's raised eyebrow. "Just know that she's the real deal, so if this is what we decide on, she'll do a final copy and then we can get the rest made."

"It's fine- I mean I like it," Shikamaru corrected himself mid-sentence at the glare Sakura sent his way. He had to fight the urge to roll his eyes at his mom and dad laughing at him. Passing it over to his mom next, he shot his dad an irritated look at him still laughing.

"These are really good. I don't think there's anything that needs to be changed," Shikamaru's mom said, passing it back over to Sakura, then she addressed her son and Sakura. "You two need to get started on the guest list now."

Hearing that, made Sakura raise an eyebrow at Shikamaru. "I thought you were doing that while I was gone."

"In case you forgot," Shikamaru replied, slouching back on the couch, as he sent a glare Sakura's way. "When you first came in and-oh so nicely-dropped your notebook on my face, I was sleeping."

"And somehow I'm not even slightly surprised you didn't do any work," Sakura replied honestly, noticing how his parents laughed at that. Her eyes caught sight of a bird flying to a bird feeder on the front porch of the house. The blue sky in the background brought her mind back to the events before she came back here. The feeling of being followed sent a shiver down her spine. But that was enough to make her push it to the back of her mind, and she stood up. "Come on Shikamaru. Let's go upstairs and get started on this list."

 **A few days later, Friday**

Starting up the stairs to Sakura's third floor apartment, Shikamaru yawned. The sun had just now started to rise, and the light was reminding him how tired he was. Reaching the second floor, he started up the next flight of stairs. _For some reason, I feel like something's different this morning. I've been doing this since Monday. Waking up early, and walking over here to Sakura's. I know I don't have to walk over here, even Sakura_ _has_ _insisted that I don't. But, I know that if I leave it to her, she'd probably forget to set an alarm like she did the first morning, and I'd end up having to wait on her even more than I usually do._

That got him thinking back to the very conversation they had just yesterday before breakfast about him walking over to her apartment every morning. How when he told her why he kept walking to her apartment, it made her laugh, and tell him that she's not as forgetful as he thinks she is. Which he completely disagreed with, and that seemed to make her laugh even more. The thought of her laughter lightened his mood up, and had the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

Reaching the third floor, he started towards Sakura's door, and again, felt like something was a bit off today. Knocking on her door he shook the thought from his mind, as he found his answer. _There's no chaos happening._ Unlike past days, there wasn't any sound of her dogs barking or her occasional cursing at getting to the door. He had only been standing there for all of six seconds when, to his surprise, the door swung right open.

Sakura stood there, completely dressed and ready to go. Her eyes on his. However, a growing frown started on her face as they stared at each other for a moment. "Why in the hell do you look so surprised? It's like your surprised to see that it's me opening the door. Who'd you think it was going to be? Shadow or Tank? That wouldn't make any damn sense."

 _Well that's a normal greeting at least… Maybe a little more hostile, but normal._ Shikamaru thought, slightly frowning as he shook his head at her. "I was just surprised that you are already dressed and ready to go." Studying her a moment longer, he grew a smirk on his face and shrugged. "This sure is a change. Me not having to wait on you."

At the sight of Shikamaru's smirk, Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "Shut up."

That got Shikamaru to laugh, as he stepped inside her apartment at her motioning for him to. "Now, that's the Sakura I've come to know over the past few days," he said, still laughing as Shadow and Tank came to greet him as usual. However, after they greeted him, they didn't go out the door, but back over to where Sakura stood. "Have they already gone out this morning?"

"Uh huh," Sakura mumbled through a yawn. Stretching her arms a bit, she turned to go towards the island bar. "Let me grab my bag."

The second Sakura turned, Shikamaru's smirk dropped. _Something's off about her today. I can't put my finger on it. It just feels odd. She's all ready to go it seems, and its like she's been up for a while. Usually she's always running around in the middle of getting ready when I arrive._

Sakura grabbed her bag, and started to make sure she had everything. When she made sure she did in fact have everything, her eyes went to the counter top where Baby sat on her bed. Petting Baby, she found herself slowly giving into her thoughts.

Shikamaru noticed her freeze up after a moment, and raised an eyebrow at her not moving. "Are you okay this morning?"

Hearing Shikamaru's voice had Sakura snapping out of her thoughts, and she shook her head to refocus. "I'm fine, let's go," she said, getting an odd shiver of a bad feeling, she shook her head again to rid the feeling, and started towards the door. They took Shadow and Tank with them as they left, as Sakura was now taking them to the Inuzuka's everyday so they wouldn't be cooped up inside all the time. Which they enjoyed. They got to play with other dogs, and get some real exercise.

On the way there, Sakura was noticeably quiet. Barely focusing ahead of them as they walked. Just having a lot on her mind.

Shikamaru remained studying her from the corner of his eye. Noticing the slightly dark bags under her eyes, and how she seemed stiff. Something was clearly on her mind. "Are you okay?"

Hearing those words had Sakura snap out of her thoughts again, and without much thought, words started flying out of her mouth. "Why do you keep asking me that? I'm fine!"

Shikamaru, raising an eyebrow at her suddenly snapping like that. "Sheesh, remind me never to ask you questions anymore."

That seemed to do the trick to soften Sakura up. She put a smile on her face as she looked in Shikamaru's direction. "Sorry. This is just me without caffeine and breakfast. This is partially the reason as to why I keep telling you that you don't have to walk all the way to my apartment in the morning. I'm really not that pleasant of a morning person when I don't have my coffee."

"Well, next time I'll remember to get coffee to keep you from killing me," Shikamaru said, noticing that as soon as their words were over, Sakura had went back to her plain expression. No smile or light like usual. Just plain. _Something's not right here. And I'm not really certain, but I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that she hasn't had coffee yet._

 **Almost an hour later**

Having dropped the dogs off, they went to Shikamaru's breakfast, and were in the process of finishing up eating breakfast. Shikamaru's mom just now started to go over what they needed to get done that day.

"So after breakfast, you two need to finish the list of the guests we'll be inviting."

"We know that mom," Shikamaru started up after his mom finished talking. "We've been the one's doing the actual work here."

"I'm just reminding you Shikamaru," Yoshino replied, waving off her son's words. "You also need to finish writing the last of the names on the invitations, and put them in envelopes. Sakura, you have the rest of the invitations with you, correct?"

Silence followed after Yoshino's question, leaving them all looking at the pink haired woman. She had her elbow resting on the table, and her chin on her hand. Her eyes fixated on the big window on the wall across from the entrance to the dining room. The view outside was the back yard of the house.

"Sakura?" Shikamaru asked, getting no response. "Sakura?" Again no response. This time he reached over to rest his hand on her shoulder. "Hey Sakura-"

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin at the feeling of Shikamaru's hand on her shoulder. Looking over at him, she pushed his hand off her shoulder. "Why in the world did you do that?"

"Why are you so jumpy?" Shikamaru countered, an eyebrow raised at her.

At him pointing that out, Sakura turned her head away from him, and sighed in annoyance.

Shikamaru, ignoring her attitude, spoke up again. "What is this? The third time this morning you've spaced out like that. The fourth? Fifth? Sixth-"

"Would you stop?" Sakura asked him, slightly annoyed, but took a breath to lose the annoyance from her features. Looking to his mom she smiled. "I got the rest of the invitations with me by the way," she said, then her eyes went annoyingly back to Shikamaru at his look. "Stop looking at me like that. I told you everything is fine. Just because my attention span is about as short as a grain of salt this morning doesn't automatically mean I'm losing my mind."

"That's not what I'm implying," Shikamaru told her, unable to help but smirk at her example. "Something is on your mind-"

"Stop right there," Sakura said, standing up to get her empty dishes from breakfast. "Why are you making it such a big deal? Not everything that goes through my mind needs to be public knowledge."

Even though Sakura had moved to walk out of the dining room to end the conversation, Shikamaru was quick to stand up. Gathering his empty dishes, and following shortly after her. "You're being defensive now."

"I'm not being defensive," was Sakura's reply, as she put her dishes in the sink. Moving out of the way so the others could do the same.

"Yes you are." Shikamaru shot back.

"No, I am not-" Sakura stopped when there was a knock on the front door. Unable to see who it was, as the curtains were pulled over the windows, she moved towards it, as it was an excuse to end this conversation.

In walked Hinata, who didn't wait for Sakura to speak, as she stepped inside. "I got your message this morning. Why didn't you tell me that-" Hinata stopped at the glare in Sakura's eyes, and she sighed heavily at Sakura. "I need to speak to you outside.

"I can't," Sakura replied almost immediately, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now is not a good time- hey!"

"Now Sakura," Hinata had pulled Sakura by her elbow out the front door.

"I wonder what that was about," Yoshino said, while her husband just shrugged.

Shikamaru, however, found himself more curious about it than his parents were. _How did Hinata know Sakura was over here? We haven't told anyone else that we were working together on this._

 **Outside on the porch**

"You waited until this morning to tell me!" Hinata exclaimed, clearly pissed off at her pink-haired friend. "You almost were attacked last night-"

"Hey, keep it down would you?" Sakura interrupted, glancing once at the door to the house, before looking back at Hinata. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you until this morning. But, I couldn't do it last night."

"What do you mean that you couldn't do it?" Hinata questioned, clearly still pissed, but trying to contain her anger.

Sakura sighed at Hinata's look. "I told Shikamaru that he didn't have to walk me home like he has been doing. So I went home by myself. On the way, I realized I was being followed, but the people disappeared because of some ninja sweeping the streets. When I got home I was really anxious. So I took a long bubble bath and drank nearly a whole bottle of wine. I figured the wine would get my mind off of it, but I ended up slightly drunk because it was a really big bottle. Of course I almost had a panic attack when the wine didn't work, and I was sort of drunk."

"Why am I not surprised?" Was all Hinata questioned back to Sakura. Sighing when she noticed Sakura's frown. "You didn't tell Tsunade did you?"

"No I didn't," Sakura replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm in a complicated situation here. I can't just go off to go talk to the Hokage. Shikamaru's suddenly suspicious of me as of this morning. What if he gets too curious?"

"You know that this wouldn't be such a big deal if you would just tell your friends-"

"No," Sakura interrupted, a serious look in her eye. "I don't want to do that, and you know very well why."

Hinata went quiet after Sakura finished talking. Staring her friend down for a long moment, she finally sighed, and moved towards the stairs. "I'm going to go talk to the Hokage for you. I'll do a little recon, and see if I can find out if there has been any sense of unwanted visitors here."

"Thanks," Sakura spoke up before Hinata could start down the stairs, then she sighed deeply. "Why can't my life just be normal like everyone elses?"

Hinata shook her head, and turned her head to look back at Sakura. "Normal is not a word I would use to describe you ever," she replied, attempting to joke, but knew that Sakura wasn't in the mood. Sighing herself, she turned back forward, and started down the stairs. "Don't worry Sakura. We'll take care of this."

Watching Hinata until she could no longer see her, Sakura finally turned, and went back inside.

"That was quick," Shikamaru spoke up almost as soon as Sakura walked in.

"She just wanted to come by and ask why I didn't tell her that I was temporarily borrowing her shoes," Sakura replied quickly as an excuse, as she shut the front door. "Apparently she didn't appreciate me breaking into her apartment last night to grab them. Of course she said I broke in, but it doesn't really count as breaking in when I have a key. Although I guess I can't disagree with the part about her her saying I stole her shoes."

Raising an eyebrow at Sakura, Shikamaru remained quiet for a moment. Knowing very well that clearly was not why Hinata came all the way over here. But, he decided not to push it at the moment. "How did she know you were over here? I thought we agreed to not tell anyone else about us working together until we had to."

"Yeah, well Hinata's my best friend, and I tell her everything," Sakura replied as if it was obvious as to why she told Hinata. Grabbing her bag from the ground by the couch, she moved to the hall that had the stairs on it. "Now are you going to come and help me finish up writing the names on the invitations? Or sit there and continue questioning my personal life?" She asked, pausing at the entrance to the hall, as she turned her head to face him. "I mean, if you really want to know where I get my nails done, I can give you a recommendation."

While that made his parents laugh, Shikamaru just rolled his eyes, and got up from the couch. "I'm coming."

 **A couple hours later**

Over the past couple hours, they had been writing names on invitation, and sticking them in envelopes. As it was getting to be around noon, the temperature kept rising, and it was getting hot. Typical of the warm weather Konoha had starting in May and going well into September.

Sakura was currently settled laying on the ground. Sprawled out so that way more of her skin was touching the much cooler floor. "We're probably going to have some extras. They might come in handy though. I'm sure there will be some extra people that Tsunade will want to invite."

"Probably," Shikamaru agreed, sealing another envelope, and setting it down on the pile after writing the guests name down on the outside of the envelope. He was sitting a few feet from Sakura, except he was sitting up, not sprawled out on the ground like she was. His eyes flickered over to where she was, and he observed her. How she seemed so carefree and happy now, unlike how she had been acting that morning.

Grabbing another invitation, Sakura crossed her ankles. Her legs from knee down were up in the air. Her shoes long forgotten. Beginning to write down the next name, she laughed when she almost wrote her own name instead. "I've been writing so long, I think I'm starting to lose it."

Shikamaru smirked, and his eyes traveled back to her after sealing another envelope. Watching her occasionally reach her hand up to flick her bangs back away from her face. And with how she was laying on the floor, her top had rode up to where he could see her lower back. It was something that kept catching his eye even though he tried to focus on anything else. That thin inch of revealed back and sides on her just kept grabbing his attention. Finally he had to force himself to turn his body a little bit more away just so he wouldn't catch sight of it so easily. _My parents just had to make a big deal about this…_

Finishing the last few invitations, Sakura passed them off to Shikamaru, and sat up. "We can go bring these to the Hokage Tower, and send them out after we speak to Tsunade," she started, moving to stand up, and stretch. "I'm already dreading the walk there. It's probably so much hotter outside."

"Probably," Shikamaru replied, his eyes flickering over to her, then back to finishing up sealing the last of the envelopes.

An hour later

They had spent a good amount of time at the Hokage's office, more or less, just because they didn't want to leave the air conditioned building to go back out in the heat. But they finally decided to go back to Shikamaru's house, and that's what they were doing now.

Shikamaru glanced over to Sakura a few times since they started walking back, as he had observed her happy mood. It wasn't until they were close to getting back to his house that he spoke up. "You've been in a good mood these past few hours. Unlike this morning. What changed?"

At Shikamaru bringing that up again, Sakura just sighed with annoyance, and shook her head. Crossing her arms, and not replying back to him.

"I would let it go," Shikamaru started after observing her irritated expression, and lack of response. "But for some reason, I can't. You being all mysterious and secretive has intrigued my interest. Which you better feel damn special for managing to catch my interest like that. So it's only fair you tell me what's going on in that head of yours-"

Sakura's laughter interrupted Shikamaru's words. When she managed to sober up her laughter, she shook her head, and smiled. "You are persistent, I'll give you that," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, as they walked up on the porch. "Not as good as me of course, but you are acceptably okay when it comes to being persistent."

Stopping beside Sakura on the porch, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. "Does that mean you are going to tell me?"

"No," Sakura replied shortly, moving to open the front door to walk inside. "Hello." She greeted his parents, who were sitting over on one of the couches.

Shikamaru remained standing there, watching her for a moment, before following her inside. Finding himself feeling oddly annoyed with her lack of telling him what was going on. But, at the same time, the way she handled herself, it amused him. Smirking, he shook his head at her, as he started taking off his shoes. "You're troublesome."

"And right now you're annoying," Sakura shot back almost immediately, as she kicked off her shoes. She turned away from him. "And when you're done pouting about it, you can help me clean up the mess we made upstairs." That was all she said, before walking down the short hall to the stairs.

Sakura's words actually got Shikamaru to laugh. Enough to where he couldn't stop laughing. Hearing her laughter join in from upstairs, made it even more impossible for him to stop laughing. _That woman is strange that's for sure._ He thought briefly, finally sobering up his laughter. Sending a nod his parents way, he started towards the hall the stairs were on. Having not noticed the raised eyebrows from his parents.

 **A couple hours later, dinner time**

"So I guess this means we are done for the week," Shikamaru's mom said, looking at her check list for the week. Her eyes went to Sakura after she set her notebook down. "What do you have planned for the weekend dear?"

"Well, I'm going to go train some- which all the questions from my team is going to be fun," Sakura started, her tone sarcastic. Sticking her fork into her salad, she thought about what else she had planned. "Then I'm going to be working at the hospital when I can over the next few days. Oh, and I think I'm going to take Shadow and Tank out to the mountains to jog a little bit."

Shikamaru had been watching Sakura take a bite from her salad, and it made him shake his head. He had been the only one not to get a salad, as it wasn't something he could make himself eat. Looking at his parents, he smirked. "Her dogs have about five times the amount of energy that Sakura has. Which should already tell you that it's a lot, because Sakura's already almost borderline insane with her energy."

"Shut up," Sakura retorted almost immediately, lightly pushing his shoulder, and shaking her head at him. "I'm not that bad."

"Have you met you?" Shikamaru countered her.

That made both his parents laugh. His mom spoke up first after they stopped laughing. "Are you going to relax at all Sakura? It seems like you're going to be busy the whole weekend?"

Thinking for a moment, Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I like having things to do. It keeps my mind focused, and it gives me an excuse to get out of my apartment." The thought of having a full list of things to do over the weekend, brought Sakura's thoughts back to how busy her mind would be worrying over being watched or followed. _The busier the better. Less time for me to sit and worry about that stuff._

The rest of dinner went by quickly, and it wasn't until after putting up the dishes, Sakura moved to grab her bag, and slip on her shoes. "I'm going to go ahead and go. I need to go pick up Shadow and Tank before they think I forgot about them."

"I'll walk with you," Shikamaru said, standing up from where he was sitting on one of the bar stools.

That made Sakura pause after she put on her shoes. Shrugging her shoulders after a moment, she looked at him. "Well come on then."

Ten minutes later, they left the Inuzuka's and started towards Sakura's apartment. It had been fairly quiet between them on their walk over to pick up the dogs. Shikamaru having been thinking about how she didn't disagree with him walking with her today, and finally he decided to bring it up. "You didn't resist at all like you usually do when I offered to walk with you home… Which is strange. Especially after last night when you nearly punched me to keep me from walking with you."

Sakura was quiet for a moment, and finally she sighed. "Okay… You win," she started, looking in his direction, before focusing back forward. "Last night when I was walking to go pick up Shadow and Tank, I felt like I was being followed. At first I wasn't sure, but then I confirmed it when whoever it was followed me down four streets that basically put me walking in a full circle. They were getting really close to me, but there were some ninja sweeping the streets. Then whoever it was disappeared."

"You're okay though right?" Shikamaru asked, surprising himself with the note of concern in his voice.

"Obviously I'm fine. Don't freak out over it," Sakura replied quickly, as she looked over to meet his eyes. "It's just after they followed me like that, it kind of got my imagination running all over the place."

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment. "Which is why you were spacing out so much today."

"Yeah," Sakura confirmed with a nod. An annoyed expression on her face. "I've been allowing myself to keep picturing what would have happened if those other ninja weren't surveying the streets like they were. Of course I could have handled it, but an attack in the village would just get my team all annoying and in my business worse than usual."

Once again Shikamaru was silent, as he watched her. "That's why you made all those plans to stay busy this weekend isn't it?"

"Kind of," Sakura replied, reaching the stairs to her apartment building, she started up them. "I do like to be busy, but I like to relax too. I just feel like this whole thing is just an excuse to do more."

"Why would someone be following you?" Shikamaru asked as they reached the third floor.

"I don't know..." Sakura trailed off. They reached her door, and she unlocked it. However, instead of going inside, she just kept the door open, and turned to go over to the railing. Looking down to the ground to see Shadow and Tank roaming around. "I don't want to think about it anymore. It's nothing to worry about. I just can't stop my brain from focusing on it."

Watching Sakura for a moment, Shikamaru crossed his arms, and leaned back against the railing. "Have you enjoyed having a break from training these past five days? Because I know I have."

At the change in topic, Sakura sighed with relief, and nodded once. Turning away from the railing, she sat down on the ground. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she crossed her arms over the top of her knees. "I feel like I should say no, but these past five days have been wonderful. I haven't realized how much I was working on training and missions until I got to actually sit back and do something else."

"I understand that feeling," Shikamaru smirks then, as he actually sat down as well. Except he had moved to sit across from her. His back against the wall her apartment door was on. "Of course it's not like I wasn't taking breaks during my training."

That brought a big smile to Sakura's face. "I bet. You were probably gone somewhere looking at the clouds everyday."

"Nothing wrong with that," Shikamaru said, shrugging his shoulders. A smirk on his face.

That made Sakura laugh, just as Baby strolled out of her apartment, and over to where she was sitting. She adjusted so Baby could climb on her lap and lay there. Starting to pet her, Sakura looked back to Shikamaru. "No there isn't anything wrong with that." Hearing Shadow and Tank barking, she turned her head to see they were just playing around. Looking back to Shikamaru, she smiled again. "Having time to be alone and relax is something I probably need."

"I could probably teach you my ways if you want," Shikamaru said, smirking back at her. "You might be mission impossible, but I think I'd be up for the challenge."

That had Sakura laughing. "Good look with that. You'll be pulling out your hair after one lesson." She said, before she laughed along with Shikamaru. The feeling of anxiety about what happened last night seemed to fade away as she laughed. _This might just be what I need to get my mind to settle._

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so I know I've been MIA this past month, I talk about where I was over on my blog. But, I am ready to get back into the swing of things. Which kinda sucks because I've already managed to be a day off on my uploads. But it's all good. At least I'm getting the chapters up haha. My favorite scene this chapter was probably the scene between Shikamaru and Sakura at the end of the chapter. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	4. A Long Weekend

_Review:_

" _I could probably teach you my ways if you want," Shikamaru said, smirking back at her. "You might be mission impossible, but I think I'd be up for the challenge."_

 _That had Sakura laughing. "Good look with that. You'll be pulling out your hair after one lesson." She said, before she laughed along with Shikamaru. The feeling of anxiety about what happened last night seemed to fade away as she laughed. This might just be what I need to get my mind to settle._

* * *

 **The next morning, Saturday**

Opening her eyes, Sakura blinked to adjust to the rather dark room. A sense of relaxation settled all over her body, and she smiled. It felt wonderful to wake up so freely. Without her alarm or to the sound of Shikamaru banging on her door to wake her up if she overslept.

Her eyes swept over to her bedside table, and smirked at how it wasn't even six thirty. _Okay, so my version of sleeping in is a little off. But, I feel great, so that's all that-_ Her thoughts were interrupted with movement to her right side, and then Tank was leaning more on her. His tail thumping on the bed, and he stuck his face directly in front of hers. Attempting to lick her.

"Tank stop, no kisses," Sakura laughed, shaking her head when Shadow started it too. "Alright already. Let's get up boys!" Once up she skipped out of the room to go let the dogs out.

Coming back, she dressed in some running clothes. Her neon pink and white running shoes, dark grey yoga pants, and a black tank top. Her sports bra underneath was neon pink like her shoes. She smiled as Baby had finally got up from where she had been sleeping on top of her pillows, and Sakura scratched behind her ears. Quickly making her bed, she grabbed her shoes, and left back in the living room. Slipping her shoes on, she thought about all she had to do today. _Go running with Shadow and Tank, drop them off at the Inuzuka's, go to the hospital, shower, do rounds, and then go to training in the afternoon. Once I get done there, I'll go back to the hospita, then go pick up Shadow and Tank and go home._

Her full schedule for the day made her smile. The dogs come running inside just as she finished tying her shoes. Making sure Baby was set for the day, she rolled her eyes at Baby's leisure look. "Lucky you get to stay in air conditioning all day."

Leaving with the dogs, she paused at the top of the stairs. Looking up to the sky. The sun had just barely started to rise, and most everything was still dark. It made her sigh at how early it was. _I love how sometimes I can sleep in until noon. But, then there are days like this where I feel like I sleep in, but it's really only six_ _thirty_ _in the morning._ Shaking her head, she jumped up and down a few times to pick up her spirits. Starting quickly down the stairs, she met with Shadow and Tank at the bottom and started off on a run. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

 **Shikamaru's POV**

The sound of his alarm hitting his ears, had Shikamaru groaning. Reaching over, he hit the snooze button quickly. All without opening his eyes. The silence in the room was almost mocking, as he knew that he would have to get up. Moving so he was on his back, he slid his arms back behind his head, and opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. _I finally get a break from planning for this party, and the first day off is being with my team training all day._ His thoughts slowly shifted over to Sakura. Where he began to find a small part of himself feeling weird about not getting up to go walk over to her house. He had done that everyday the past five days, so it was odd not to.

Thinking more about Sakura, his thoughts went to their conversation last night out on the landing in front of her apartment. Sakura never said much more about the fact that she had been followed the night before last. They just talked about random stuff that didn't really pertain to anything. _Which was surprisingly not that bad. Usually conversations that don't have an immediate purpose bore me. Even sometimes having a purpose still bothers me. But, for some reason, last night was tolerable._

The sound of his alarm going off had him stop his thoughts. Reaching over he slapped his hand back down on the alarm clock. This time hitting the off button. Moving back to where his arms were back behind his head, he remained still in bed. Yawning as he closed his eyes. _Why must my team be the one who wants to meet so damn early in the morning?_

 **A half hour later**

"You're late," was the first thing Shikamaru was greeted with by Ino. She had her arms crossed, and held an annoyed look on her face. "Twenty minutes wasted so we could wait on you."

Shikamaru's first reaction was a yawn, followed with a muffled response. "I know that."

"How has planning the party been?" Choji asked, a typical bag of chips in his hand.

The thought of the party had Shikamaru immediately seeing Sakura's pink hair and hearing her laughter. How she managed to make the party planning not all that bad. However, he was quick to force that from his mind, as he outwardly shrugged. "It's not that spectacular if that's what you are asking."

"I'm surprised you haven't been slacking off," Asuma's voice cut into the conversation, having walked closer once Shikamaru had arrived.

"Apparently this year, I have no choice but to participate in all of this, and enjoy it all," Shikamaru said, immediately bringing his thoughts back to Sakura. As she had been the one to tell him he had no choice but to participate and enjoy it. Remembering her telling him that if he didn't he would have to suffer the consequences, and that made him have to hold back a smirk.

"I don't know why you think that's a bad thing," Ino said, a hand propped on her hip. "I'd rather be planning a party than training in the sun for twelve hours straight. You're lucky."

"Lucky or not, he still has participate on the weekends. I'm thinking about making training even longer just to celebrate that fact," Asuma said, laughing at the groans that he received from his students. "Relax, I was just joking with you. Let's go ahead and get started for the day though."

That had them start walking towards their training ground. Shikamaru hadn't really been paying attention to what the others were saying until he heard Ino mention Sakura's name.

"I don't know what she's been up to these past few days. But, Sakura's practically been MIA," Ino was saying to Choji, her arms crossed over her chest. "She hasn't even been showing up to her team's training sessions. I asked Hinata if she knew, but she said she didn't… Although, if you ask me, I'm sure Hinata knows where Sakura is. She just won't say anything because Sakura probably told her not to."

That had Shikamaru smirking, as he pushed his hands into his pockets as they walked. _So Sakura still hasn't told her team what she's been up to. She was right though. Hinata appears to not be saying anything to anyone about what we've been up to._

"You saw her last," Ino suddenly directed her attention to Shikamaru.

That had Shikamaru grow slightly wide eyed. _What does she mean by that?_

"You know, when you went to Tsunade's office on Sunday?" Ino asked to jog his memory. "Do you know what she's up to? Did Tsunade give her a mission or something?"

That made Shikamaru release the breath he was holding. Pulling one hand out of his pockets to rub the back of his neck. "I didn't really talk to her."

Ino seemed to accept this without much question, and turned her focus back forward and starting to complain about how Asuma started telling them they were going to probably be out here late today after all.

Shikamaru sighed at Ino's distraction, and looked back up to the sky. _That was close._

 **Sakura's POV around noon**

Resting her hands on her face, Sakura had to take a deep breath to cool her growing irritation.

"Why won't you just tell us where you have been?" Naruto's questioning voice hit her ears first. Followed by Sai's.

"And don't say that it's because you don't want to. You've already said that five times."

Not even giving Sakura a chance to say anything, Naruto's voice picked back up. "You've been basically gone for the past five days, six including the training session you left with Shikamaru at-"

"Would you just stop questioning me?!" Sakura yelled in interruption. Dropping her hands from her face, only to prop them on her hips, seeing how that already made her teammates take a few steps back. "I already told you several times over the past couple hours that I was doing stuff for Tsunade! If you ask me again I will-"

"Hey!" It was Yamato interrupting Sakura, as he and Kakashi finally showed up. "What's going on here?"

It was dead silent for a moment, and then Sakura just looks to Kakashi and Yamato. "Nothing important," she replied, before looking back at her teammates. "Bring it up again, and I'll bury you all alive."

That had the male teammates take another few steps away from her, and Sakura just smiled. Yamato and Kakashi shared a look, before Kakashi spoke up. "I don't think we want to know what's going on."

 **Later that evening**

"Thanks so much for letting them come here during the day," Sakura spoke up, petting Shadow and Tank, who were circling her legs, and wanting attention.

"No problem Sakura," Kiba's sister replied, smiling back at her. "They enjoy themselves here."

"Hey Haruno."

"Kiba," Sakura started back, her eyes moving over to her left to see Kiba and Akamaru. Appearing to be returning from training. Shadow and Tank right away went over to Akamaru. The three very familiar with each other with how often Shadow and Tank were over at the Inuzuka's.

"Alright Akamaru," Kiba said, laughing at how Akamaru was already appearing to get in the mood to play around with Shadow and Tank. Nodding once in Sakura's direction, he and Akamaru continued over to the house.

Sakura watched as Kiba greeted his sister, and smiled. Starting to walk away herself, she glanced to Shadow and Tank. "Come on boys."

On her way home, she started to think over her busy day. It had been a successful one. Apart from her team annoying her this afternoon with all their questions, everything was good after she threatened them to silence. Her mind went silent after that. There was not really much else to her day to think about. The silence started an itching uncomfortable feeling inside of her. Walking down the lone street she was on brought on the memory of being followed. Turning her head to look around herself, to find no one there. _Stop it Sakura! You're being paranoid. There is no one following you._

Even though she tried to make herself stop thinking about it, her mind wouldn't shut off. Realizing where she was at, she sighed, and spoke up. "Stop boys," she called over to her dogs, as she paused. Feeling welcome eyes on her, she turned her head to her left. "You're coming over to my apartment."

"Can I at least take a shower first? I just got done with training."

"Only if you bring me alcohol to make up for waiting for you," Sakura replied, looking up to the second level of the building. Meeting the white eyes of her best friend.

"Bad day?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not until a few moments ago when my over-thinking self made it that way."

"I'm not surprised… I'll take a shower, then I'll bring over a bottle of red, and I'm probably going to spend the night. Because I know that your probably going to stop and get a bottle of fireball on your way home."

"You know me well Hinata," Sakura replied, stretching her arms above her head. "See you in fifteen."

"Fifteen," Hinata nodded in agreement, turning to go to her apartment door.

Sakura turned herself, and whistled to get her dogs attention so they could keep walking. Sighing with a bit of relief at how Hinata was going to come over. _What would I do without her?_

 **The next morning**

Sighing heavily, Sakura stared up at the ceiling. She struggled to get sleep last night, and nothing could really motivate her to get up. Shadow and Tank were both up and energy filled. Baby remained relaxed on the pillow behind her head, but was awake as well. She was currently swatting at Tank or Shadow whenever they got too close for comfort.

"Relax you two," Sakura spoke to get them to stop moving around so much, and that seemed to settle them down a bit.

The bathroom door opened, and Hinata walked out. Dressed for the day, and smirking in Sakura's direction. "Are you hungover or just lazy?"

"I'm exhausted," Sakura shot back irritably.

"Okay, that wasn't really an option," Hinata said, shaking her head, and rolling her eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't come over to spend the night anymore if it's going to be that much of an influence on you."

"No," Sakura started in an almost whine. "Who else is going to come over and drink with me, and be my therapist?"

"Someone who can tolerate you," Hinata replied before she laughed. "Or really someone who can tolerate the mountain of issues you have around you."

"Stooooop," Sakura spoke again in a whine.

Hinata laughed at her words. "Well, you have a lot to do today, and I can't stick around to push your ass out of bed. So try to be productive after another half hour of being lazy okay?"

"No promises," Sakura retorted grumpily.

"Right," Hinata replied, shaking her head, and grabbing her bag from where it was at the end of Sakura's bed.

Sakura heard Hinata walking out of the room, then faintly the sound of the front door closing. It was silent for all of a few seconds before Shadow and Tank were up and playing with each other again. Grabbing a pillow she rested it on top of her face, and groaned at her dogs energy.

That only last a few seconds, as apparently her dogs got too close to Baby. The sound of hissing was heard, then she felt Baby's nails dig into her shoulder where she had appeared to have stepped to dart away from the dogs. "Ow!" Sakura hollered at the top of her lungs dramatically, finally slinging the pillow off her face, and she sat straight up. Just in time to watch both Shadow and Tank dart off the bed to chase Baby into the hall. Her hand went to her shoulder where there were several little scratches, and she growled at the stinging pain. Healing them to stop bleeding and hurting, she finally pushed her blankets off of her. The barking continued, and she sighed and pushed her hair out of her face as she got up.

 **Shikamaru's POV**

The sound of someone banging on his door was what Shikamaru woke up to.

"Shikamaru!"

 _Mom._ Shikamaru thought, groaning lowly, as he moved to where he was laying on his back. "What?"

"Get a move on. You have to go train soon."

"I'm getting up mom," Shikamaru replied to his mother, remaining laying still in his bed. Listening to the sound of his mom's footsteps as she walked away from his door. _I should really get my own place. All of my friends have already moved out on to their own apartments. Some even their own houses in their clan's districts… Of course that would require me to have to find an apartment… Then move my stuff to said apartment. That all sounds too troublesome._

Shikamaru wasn't sure how long he laid there, but a startling bang on his door shook him out of his thoughts.

"Shikamaru! What did I say? Get up!"

"I'm getting dressed right now!" Shikamaru called back irritably. Faintly able to hear his mom's voice, as she told his father how he was taking his sweet time as usual. _Thanks mom… This weekend is just dragging on._ He thought, rolling his eyes, as he pushed himself up. Groaning as he stretched, and then he yawned. The peaceful silence in the room mocked him, as he knew how much training he had to look forward to. _That's certainly not peaceful._

 **Later that day**

Walking away from their training ground, Sakura's eyes left her teammates to move up to the sky. A paranoid feeling circling her. Throughout the last couple hours of training, she felt as if she was being watched again. A darker presence that followed her every move for the last two hours, the disappeared when the stopped for the day. The thought had her eyes sweeping to her sides. She knew the presence was gone, but that didn't stop her. _It's unsettling if anything. I could handle it easily, but the stalking is what's bothering me. What if-_

"Look who it is," it was Ino's voice that interrupted Sakura's thoughts.

Sakura looked over just in time to see Team Ten appeared to be coming from training as well.

Ino's eyes were focused solely on Sakura, as their teams met. "Thought you were dead."

Laughing off Ino's words, Sakura crossed her arms. "Well thanks a lot Ino. I was gone for like a day-"

"Five," Ino interrupted, crossing her arms back at Sakura. "You've been MIA for five days."

"I was not," Sakura replied quickly. "I've been doing some stuff for Tsunade."

"You guys are done with training?" Naruto spoke up before Ino could reply back to Sakura.

"Yeah," Choji nodded. "We're going for barbeque. You all should come with us."

"Yes, that sounds great!" Naruto agreed cheerfully.

"Why not?" Sai agreed less enthusiastically.

Naruto then looks back at Sakura. "Are you going with us?"

"You know I already said I wanted to go ahead and go pick up Shadow and Tank, then go home-"

"Yeah, but what's an extra hour or so? They'll be fine," Naruto interrupted her waiving his hand. "You've been acting weird the past couple hours, and you owe us more of your time."

Sakura just rolled her eyes at him. "Fine I'll go. But, I don't owe you shit. This is just so I don't have to cook dinner tonight."

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed, as they all started walking.

Sakura's eyes went through the others, and landed on Shikamaru. Who had just turned his head to look in her direction. Keeping eye contact, she noticed he was about to say something.

"You look like death," Ino's voice was heard instead, as she moved over beside Sakura.

Looking away from Shikamaru, Sakura focused on Ino. "Thanks a lot. You just look so much better after training all day."

"Not like that," Ino waived her hand at Sakura's words. "I mean, it looks like you haven't slept in days."

Sakura shrugged at that. "What can I say? My inner vampire partied a little too hard last night."

"You're ridiculous," Ino laughed, shaking her head at Sakura. Moving over to where Choji was, she fell into step beside him. Scolding him about talking so loudly with Naruto.

Sakura took to her freedom from conversation, and trailed a good bit behind her team and team Ten. Her eyes up on the sky. _I really just want to go get my dogs, go home, and get in a bubble bath. Drink a bottle of wine, and snuggle with my animals in bed for the rest of the evening._

"Are you being followed again?"

Hearing Shikamaru's voice, had Sakura holding back a groan. Without looking over at him, she spoke up. "It's not a big deal Shikamaru."

"You're losing sleep over it," Shikamaru replied back to her. Clearly not planning to let it go just like that. "I heard what you said to Ino-"

"Maybe me not sleeping has nothing to do with that. Maybe it's because I chose to stay up last night to go to a wild party," Sakura interrupted him.

"You're evading the topic," Shikamaru said. Knowing very well that her use of what could be the reason, is a way of distracting from the actual reason.

"I just couldn't sleep, alright?" Sakura countered, her tone showing annoyance with his persistence.

"That's fine," Shikamaru shot back rather quickly. "Well not fine. But, at least that's somewhat of a true answer. But, it's the reason behind why you couldn't sleep is what I'm getting-"

"Just let it go," Sakura interrupted him, as she crossed her arms. "I don't understand why you even care."

That took Shikamaru aback, as he watched her. _Why do I care so much? I guess it's just my inner curiosity at what she's been hiding. I'm used to Ino telling me everything about her life in a few seconds flat. But, Sakura? I hardly know anything about her now that I think about it. She doesn't share all that much. Of course when it comes to her teammates or average day stuff she will, but nothing really all that personal. I can only think that I'm just curious, and that's the only reason why I want to know._

Shikamaru planned to say more, but Naruto's voice was heard first. "Finally!" They had arrived at the barbeque place, and walked in. Sakura was then dragged over to sit by Ino with Naruto on her other side.

Shikamaru sat down opposite to her at the table, and met her eyes once more. Shaking his head, he looked away. _Her lack of honesty about what's going on is beyond troublesome._

 **Forty-five minutes later**

"Alright," Sakura started, as she stood up from the table. Reaching a hand in her bag. "I'm going to go ahead and go."

"Why?" Ino questioned, looking up at her friend. "I haven't seen you in almost a week, and this is what I get? Forty-five minutes of your time?"

"If you recall, I originally planned on going home early anyways. So this should be enough," Sakura replied, placing her money on the table to pay for her food. "I'm tired, and I have to go pick up Shadow and Tank."

"Fine," Ino agreed after a moment. "But, you're not allowed to just go MIA again."

Sakura went awkwardly quiet after Ino said that, her eyes briefly meeting Shikamaru's, before looking back at Ino. "I didn't know you cared so much."

Ino scoffed at that. "As if. I just need someone to go shopping with."

"I'd rather die than go shopping. But if you want to go grab a drink, then I'm more than down," Sakura shot back, smirking. Looking to Naruto, she propped a hand on her hip. "Don't get more food than what you can pay for."

Naruto just mumbled back at Sakura through a mouthful of food.

Which immediately had a vein throbbing in Sakura's head, as she smacked the back of his head. "Don't talk with your mouthful moron!"

"You don't have to mother him Sakura- ow!"

"Shut up Sai!" Sakura shot back, as she had smacked Sai in the back of his head too. Slipping her bag on her shoulders, she walked away from the table. Once out of the barbeque place, she sighed. The sun had gone down, and the stars in the sky were shining bright. Starting down the street that would take her by the Inuzuka's, she focused up at the sky. _This weekend has been too long…_ _I've decided. I'm too stressed out of a person. Tomorrow, I'm going to do nothing but be lazy in my apartment. I know I certainly I need the relaxation._

 **A couple days later, Tuesday, May 12th**

Hearing his alarm go off, made Shikamaru's eyes snap open. Reaching over, he turned it off. But, instead of remaining in bed, he jumped up, and over to his closet. Grabbing clothes for the day, he started to get dressed. Ready to get the day started for once. Finishing up a couple minutes later, he grabbed his shoes, and started to his door. Just as he opened it, he found himself face to face with his mom. She appeared to have just been about to knock on his door. "Morning mom."

"Uh, good morning," his mother replied slowly. Watching as Shikamaru walked past her out of his room, and down the hall to the living room.

"He's up early this morning," Shikaku's voice came from behind her.

Yoshino nodded once. Propping a hand on her hip. "This whole weekend I had to wake him up, but today he's already dressed and ready to go before I could so much as knock on his door."

"Must be ready to get the day started," Shikaku offered after a moment. "Today will be interesting."

 **Sakura's POV**

"Shush already," Sakura scolded at her dogs loud barking. Speeding out of her room, and across the living room to the front door. She unlocked it, and opened it up for Shikamaru. Not waiting for him to say anything, she just turned around, and walked over to where her bag was resting on one of the bar stools. Grabbing her shoes from the ground to start putting them on.

"Good morning to you too," Shikamaru said, walking in as he petted Shadow and Tank who went right up to him. His eyes went to Sakura, who was slipping on her shoes, and clearly having a hard time keeping her balance.

"It's too early to be a "good" morning," Sakura shot back, finally getting her shoes on and grabbing her bag. Petting Baby, she moved to the door, and paused and pointed out. "Outside." Her dogs trotted out at her command, already bolting to the stairs. Sakura walked out after them, and waited for Shikamaru to walk out before locking her door.

"Any reason for your oh-so-pleasant attitude this morning?" Shikamaru asked, a smirk on his face as they started to the stairs.

"Yes. You see, I got less than three hours of sleep last night. My dogs seem to think it's real cute to rub their high energy in my face this morning. Oh, and the sun's blinding light is really doing great for my somewhat hangover from accidentally drinking too much with Hinata last night," Sakura replied, as she grabbed her sunglasses from her bag as she paused at the top of the stairs. Eyeing Shikamaru. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that too much information? I meant that my morning has been wonderful."

Shikamaru chuckled at her sarcasm, and shook his head. "I can already tell this is going to be an interesting day."

After they went to drop Shadow and Tank off, they went to his house. Walking in, his parents were in the kitchen. His mother already looking their way.

"You were up earlier than usual this morning," Yoshino spoke to her son, an eyebrow raised in his direction.

"It's not that unusual," Shikamaru replied, shrugging it off like it was no big deal.

Yoshino's focus then went to Sakura. "Good morning. It's been too quiet this weekend without you around."

However before Sakura could say anything, Shikamaru spoke up. "Be careful. She's not that unusually grumpy this morning, and apparently the words "good" and "morning" sets her off."

Sakura glared at Shikamaru. "It does not."

Shikamaru turned to her, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Sakura, there's this thing called coffee that we'll be sure to get you so you don't kill anyone."

While that amused his parents, Sakura clearly did not find it amusing. "You're really annoying."

"Well me annoying you matches how grumpy you are this morning," Shikamaru replied back, still clearly amused.

"I am not grumpy," Sakura shot back, moving to slip her shoes off, and set her bag down.

"Yes you are." Shikamaru replies, setting them off to bickering back and forth. But he was clearly enjoying every moment of it as he was smirking. The two just started taking the stuff for breakfast in the dining room.

Shikaku waited until they walked into the dining room, then looked to his wife. "Shikamaru seems to enjoy arguing with that woman."

Yoshino smiled back at her husband. "You're right... Today will be interesting."

 **Around lunch time**

They had decided to eat lunch out on the front porch, and had just finished up eating. They remained out there to enjoy the nice weather.

"You're in a much better mood now. I've seen you smile like twice so far," Shikamaru pointed out to Sakura.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Sakura replied back, crossing her arms, and leaning back in her chair. "My mood has been fine."

"I beg to differ. You were acting as if you were going to kill someone-probably me-this morning. You looked terrifying." Shikamaru replied back.

That seemed to grow a smile on Sakura's face. "You think I looked terrifying?" She questioned, laughing when he nodded. "Thanks for the compliment Shikamaru."

"Of course you think that's a compliment."

"Well, if you want to insult me, you should probably say something that's actually insulting," Sakura replied, smiling at how that made his parents laugh.

"You two were bickering a lot before breakfast," Yoshino pointed out, a smile on her face.

Sakura frowned, as she raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't say that."

"I would," Shikamaru disagreed with her.

Sakura's eyes moved over to Shikamaru. "What do you mean by that?"

Shikamaru reached over, and patted her hand. "It's okay that you don't remember. It was before your coffee."

While that made Shikamaru's parents laugh, Sakura just slipped her hand out from under his, crossed her arms, and stuck her tongue out at him.

At her childish gesture, Shikamaru started laughing.

That was the focus until the sight of Shizune approaching the porch got their attention.

"Shizune," Yoshino started, a welcoming smile on her face. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," Shizune said, nodding politely in Yoshino's and Shikaku's direction. Her eyes then moved over to Sakura, as she stepped onto the porch. "Tsunade wanted me to come talk to you about some things."

"Okay, well you can go ahead and tell Tsunade that I'm not in the mood to do all her paperwork for her," Sakura replied back. Her eyes flickering over to Shikamaru's parents. "Tsunade does this wonderful thing of waiting until last minute before her paperwork is due, then calls me to come and help her-aka-do it all for her."

"That's not exactly how she put it," Shizune smirked, before shaking her head. "But I'm sure that's what she meant." Reaching in her bag, she pulled out a summon scroll, and summoned a file. She then handed it over to Sakura.

"Who am I looking at?"

"Who?" Shikamaru questioned Sakura.

"It's a patient file," Sakura explained to him, opening up the file.

"74-year-old woman with-"

"Cancer," Sakura interrupted Shizune, eyeing the scans that she pulled from the file. A large tumor around the woman's spine had gave it away. "Cool."

"No," Shizune started scolding Sakura. "No, it's not cool. This is someone's life, not something for you to admire."

"Obviously I don't mean that it's cool that she has cancer, I meant the tumor looks cool. I haven't seen one this intricate in a while," Sakura replied, looking to see Shizune was still frowning. She sighed. "Dear god Shizune. I'm not that much of a heartless bitch."

That brought a smirk to Shikamaru's face, as he shook his head at Sakura's choice of words. "That much?"

"Shut it," Sakura shot back, then looked back at Shizune. "I'm guessing she's my patient now."

"We want to try to get the tumor out. You are the only one who has experience with the location and of a tumor that size. We don't want to risk paralysis," Shizune replied with a nod.

Sakura sighed, then put the scans back into the file. Handing it back over to Shizune she nodded. "Schedule her for surgery tonight. It's best I go ahead and get in there. See what I'm dealing with, and see if there's anything I can do."

Shizune nodded once back. "I'll aim for the start time to be around midnight, but it may be pushed back to one."

"Sounds good. Oh, and tell Tsunade that I'll be done here around eight or so, and if she wants to go ahead and get started on her paperwork that would be great so it'd be less for me to do."

"Enabling her isn't going to-"

"Having the elders piss her off will be much worse than me enabling her," Sakura interrupted with a sigh. "Which they will do if she doesn't turn her paperwork in on time. Just tell her I have to go grab Shadow and Tank, and they'll be hanging out with me while I work on her paperwork."

Shizune nodded, but remained standing there. "There's something else."

"What? Do I need to go straighten up the anbu for her too?" Sakura countered, noticing that made the Nara's chuckle.

"No. Temari's coming to the village the day after tomorrow." Shizune replied.

Sakura's eyes lit up, as she smiled. "Since when?"

"We got word today," Shizune replied, checking her watch. "I've got to get back and make sure Tsunade hasn't found where I hid her sake."

Sakura smiled at that. "Good luck," she said, waiting until Shizune left, before laughing. "Well my weekend is already looking great now."

"Since when are you and Temari friends?" Shikamaru questioned, thinking of the female Sand kunoichi.

Thinking about Temari as well, Sakura smiled. "For a long time… And I don't mean that lightly. Temari and her brothers have been apart of my family since I was about four."

"What does that mean?"

"My parents unofficially adopted them into the family. Well… At least at the time. It wasn't until after their father died that my parents were able to officially adopt them..." Sakura trailed off, as she noticed Shikamaru's raised eyebrow. "We just don't make that big of a deal of it because it is so normal for us to be so close… My family is actually sort of a big mess to be quite honest."

"How so? It doesn't seem like that. So what? Your parents adopted in Temari and her brothers. That's not that messy."

"I-" Sakura broke off, as she tried to think of a better way to phrase it. "It's more complicated than anything. I'm sure you'd be able to keep up, but I just don't have enough time in the world to explain to you the dynamics of my family tree."

That made Shikamaru chuckle. "You're making it sound more complicated by the second."

"Why are you surprised? I'm a complicated person in general. Why would my family be any different?" Sakura shot back, laughing. Sobering up her laughter, her eyes went to his parents. "Do you mind if I take a bit of time of whenever Temari gets here?"

"I think that's fine," Shikaku replied, his eyes on his wife.

Yoshino was nodding in Sakura's direction. "Yes, perfectly fine. We actually will only be working up until Thursday, mid-day. Shikaku and I are leaving the village Friday, and we won't be back until Saturday evening. We'll start back working next week."

Shikamaru met Sakura's eyes then. "My parents have to go talk to some of our relatives that live outside the village about some herbs that the hospital needs."

"I guessed that," Sakura replied, a smile on her face, as she propped her elbow on the arm of the chair, and her head on her hand. "I was the one who requested the herbs after all. Apparently with Summer comes along the season of a bunch of genin trying to get themselves killed."

That made the others chuckle. Shikamaru's mother focused on him finally. "Just think Shikamaru, while we're all busy, it will be a perfect time for you to go get some training in."

Shikamaru frowned. "So Sakura can go have fun, and I get sentenced to train?"

"Tch," Sakura started, shaking her head at him, a smile on her face. "As if you are going to actually train. You'll probably go watch the clouds."

"You don't understand," Shikamaru started. "My sensei has been harder on me since I've missed so much training- don't laugh about that Sakura. It's not funny. I'm serious."

That didn't stop Sakura's laughter, and it just continued at Shikamaru's glare. However his glare didn't remain on his face for long. When Sakura looked away, he found his eyes softening, and the corners of his mouth lift upward. His irritation with her fading with the sound of her laughter.

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter is done! Wanted to kind of go into their weekends a bit with this chapter. My favorite scene was probably the one where Hinata was leaving Sakura's apartment after a night of drinking, and kind of acting like Sakura's mother a bit with all the reminders haha. What was your favorite scene?**

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	5. Where's Our Boyfriend?

_Review:_

" _Tch," Sakura started, shaking her head at him, a smile on her face. "As if you are going to actually train. You'll probably go watch the clouds."_

" _You don't understand," Shikamaru started. "My sensei has been harder on me since I've missed so much training- don't laugh about that Sakura. It's not funny. I'm serious."_

 _That didn't stop Sakura's laughter, and it just continued at Shikamaru's glare. However his glare didn't remain on his face for long. When Sakura looked away, he found his eyes softening, and the corners of his mouth lift upward. His irritation with her fading with the sound of her laughter._

* * *

 **The next day, Wednesday**

"So these are the last minute invitations?" Sakura started in question to Shikamaru's mother. Staring at the twenty-or thirty-invitations in Yoshino's hands.

"Yes they are," Yoshino replied, looking down at the invitations, as she strolled alongside Sakura. "She sounded rather urgent when she asked for more of them."

"Well I would say that Tsunade normally wouldn't wait until last minute to do something, but that would be lying," Sakura chuckled, and shook her head. "I can't believe she requested that many apart from the two hundred something we already did."

"Hmmm."

Hearing that, Sakura turned her head to look back over her shoulder. "Do you've got something to add Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru, who was walking alongside his dad a few feet behind his mother and Sakura, only smirked back at Sakura. "I see it now. Where you get it from."

That had Sakura stopping, and turning to face Shikamaru. Hands on her hips, and her eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to-" The sound of barking interrupted Sakura from speaking any further. Looking over to her right just in time to see the source of the barking coming straight from the Inuzuka's. Shadow and Tank. "Oh boy."

At that very moment Shadow and Tank bolted from the Inuzuka's right to Sakura.

Sakura just barely steadied herself before they got to her. Tank immediately jumped up at her, his front paws meeting both of her shoulders, as he barked once at her. She had to remain steady when Shadow butted his way through her legs from the back, and sitting underneath her. "Boys, this is ridiculous." Tank just barked again, his tail wagging. Sakura didn't have to look to know Shadow's tail was thumping the ground.

"These are your dogs?" Yoshino questioned, an eyebrow raised.

Sakura nodded once, as she pushed lightly at Tanks chest. "Down," she told Tank, as he did go back down. But he only moved over to Shikamaru circling him and wanting attention. Sakura's eyes went to Shikamaru's parents. "That's Tank, and this," she paused to look down at Shadow. He was staring up at her, his tongue lazily hanging out of his mouth. "Is Shadow."

"So this is what they left the backyard for," Kiba's sister's voice was heard, as she walked around the building and appeared near them. "A minute ago they both froze up, then bolted. I was wondering what got them to do that, as they are usually behaved."

Laughing a bit, Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess you got your answer," she said, frowning down at Shadow and Tank. "I usually try to avoid walking by here when I know they're here. Trying to prevent this. My mind has been a little busy today."

"Well, they certainly don't seem that upset seeing you," Kiba's sister replied smiling.

Tank had trotted back over to Sakura, and sat down. Halfway leaning over on her, panting a bit, but content with being near her. Shadow still sitting underneath her. Sakura was quiet, then shook her head. "Alright," she looked over to Kiba's sister. "I'm heading to Tsunade's office. I think I'll just bring them with me since I got their hopes up. Maybe that'll be less of a blow when I have to bring them back here."

"Okay, well take your time. They wouldn't mind spending more time with you," Kiba's sister agreed, turning to leave back to the backyard.

It wasn't until after Kiba's sister walked away, that Shikamaru's eyes went to Sakura, as they started walking again. "Really?"

"I feel bad for leaving them after they've already seen me." Sakura explained, knowing he was talking to her.

"You spoil them." Shikamaru pointed out.

"I can't help it. You try saying no to their precious faces." Sakura shot back.

"Unlike you, my heart doesn't melt at the sight of animals." Shikamaru replied back, smirking at her.

Sakura rolled her eyes back at him. "I don't know why you say that like it's a bad thing."

"Well when you end up with five hundred pets when you get older, you might understand." Was Shikamaru's amused reply.

"You know what-"

"Alright," Shikamaru's mother interrupted Sakura, a smile on her face. "You two need to stop before this leads to an argument."

That had both Sakura and Shikamaru falling into silence. However that silence did not last all that long. Sakura had pulled out a tennis ball from her bag, and got her dogs attention. "Alright, whoever gets this first gets to eat dinner first tonight." She told Shadow and Tank, before pulling her arm back, then throwing the ball far. Laughing as her dogs took off running.

Almost a half hour later they were in Tsunade's office. Sakura was currently writing names on the envelopes, and re-sealing them. Pausing what she was doing, Sakura looked over at her dogs and spoke up. "Boys lay down!"

At Sakura's command, Shadow and Tank both laid down, and stopped their running around.

"They behave so well." Yoshino spoke up, a smile on her face.

"Well they have their mischievous moments."

"I learn that from you," Shikamaru spoke almost immediately after Sakura.

That made Sakura look over to him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Okay," Tsunade spoke up before anymore could be said. "When will you be coming back here to help? You haven't been here in a week."

"You mean when am I going to be back here to do your work for you?" Sakura corrected, smirking at Tsunade's glare. "Sometime around eight or nine. I have some things to take care of today. So you're going to have to be patient for once in your life, and wait." That had her laughing when Tsunade's glare darkened. Focusing back on her writing, she sighed at how many invitations she still needed to finish up.

Another half hour went by before they finally left Tsunade's office. Sakura was petting both Shadow and Tank, who were loving the attention. "Alright boys, as much as this hurts me to say this, time to take you back."

"Oh you don't have to do that. You should just bring them over to the house," Shikamaru's mother spoke up, a warm smile on her face at Sakura's raised eyebrow.

"Oh no, they'll be more of a nuisance while we're trying to get stuff done. I'll take them back. It'll only take a few minutes for them to be okay for me to leave," Sakura replied, shaking her head.

Shikamaru's mom waved her hand. "No it's perfectly alright to bring them over. We're mostly done for the day anyways. Just got a few more things to discuss."

Sakura looked down at her dogs and sighed at their precious faces. "Okay I'll guess I'll bring them over."

Shikamaru chuckled as they started walking to his house. "You're actually happy about bringing them over."

"Of course I am," Sakura replied almost immediately. "They're my furbabies. I would love to spend every moment of my life with them if I could. But to be honest, I'm sure they'd get tired of me, before I'd get tired of them."

Shikamaru left back at Sakura's words. "You're ridiculous."

"I don't see the problem here," Sakura shot back, before joining Shikamaru's laughter.

 **The next day**

"That's not going to work."

"Yes it will. I've thought about it, and I think it's the most efficient way to do this." Shikamaru replied back to Sakura, an eyebrow raised at her. They were currently walking through the garden in front of his house. His mother wanted him and Sakura to plant some flowers that morning, which he complained about as that wasn't part of what they were supposed to do for the party. But here they were, planting flowers anyway.

"Okay, but my way is a lot better for the people to get around. It's more open." Sakura replied, crossing her arms.

Shikamaru crossed his arms back at Sakura. "So will my way. It's just more organized. Why must you argue with everything I suggest?"

Sakura scoffed at Shikamaru's words, and put a smirk on her face. "Considering this is the one and only thing you've actually really participated in here, I don't think you can really say that."

"The fact that I am participating should show you that clearly your ideas not going to work."

"You don't actually think my idea isn't going to work, you're just trying to make this harder, because you're still mad about what happened this morning."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I am not."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm really not."

"Yes, you really are."

"No, Sakura-"

"What exactly happened this morning?" Yoshino interrupted her son from where she stood by some flowers they had yet to plant with her husband. They had been watching their son and Sakura bicker back and forth for the past few minutes.

"Nothing-"

"Well you see," Sakura interrupted Shikamaru, her eyes on his parents. "I woke up earlier than usual, and I got dressed walked outside with my dogs instead of staying in. He went up to my door like usual-"

"Sakura, stop talking," Shikamaru interrupted her, shaking his head. "Honestly-"

The rest of Shikamaru's words were muffled by Sakura putting her hand over his mouth. Staring into his eyes, she continued speaking to his parents. "He had no idea I was already outside, so I walked up behind him, and said his name. He nearly jumped out of his skin." She started laughing then. "He spun around so fast, and his eyes were so wide."

Shikamaru pushed her hand away from his mouth. "That is not what-"

He was interrupted by the sound of his parents laughing.

Sakura smiled smugly. Clearly pleased by how she clearly embarrassed him.

Shikamaru only shook his head back at her. "Stop gloating."

Sakura shook her head back at him. "Don't be so embarrassed Shikamaru. If I terrify you, then that means that were truly friends now."

"That doesn't make any sense." Shikamaru replied rolling his eyes at how his parents were laughing still.

"Do I ever make any sense?" Sakura countered, smiling as that clearly took Shikamaru aback.

"Now that you mention it-"

"Alright you two," Shikaku interrupted, chuckling. "As entertaining as it's been to listen to you two bicker back and forth, we've got to move on."

Yoshino nodded in agreement with her husband. "I think both of you have good points. But the way the flowers in this garden are going to be arranged, is going to be officially decided by me. Which right now needs to be a compromise between both your ideas."

Following her words was silence. Shikamaru and Sakura stared each other down for a long moment. Shikamaru was the one to break the silence, but didn't look all that happy about it. "I guess we can spread the different types out instead of putting them all together by color."

Sighing heavily, Sakura crossed her arms, and lowered her eyes to the ground. "And I guess the space between the flowers doesn't have to be _that_ far apart."

Again with the silence, but this time it was interrupted by Shikaku chuckling. His eyes going to his wife. "Look Yoshino, they're making progress in getting along."

That brought a smile to Yoshino's face. "And here I thought we were going to be spending the next hour in miserable silence because of them."

"Hey!" Sakura and Shikamaru chorused, getting them both to look at one another. Smiles growing on their face, and they started to laugh.

At the sound of their laughter, Yoshino nodded in approval of their attitude change. "Alright, let's get started.

After a good hour of work, they finally finished the last of the flower planting. The heat from the sun was beginning to exhaust them, and it was clear they were ready for a break.

"I'm going to be getting some more flowers from the Yamanaka flower shop next week. We can finish this up then."

"Great," Shikamaru spoke through a sigh at his mother's words. However, he shrunk back at the glare his mother gave him.

That had both Sakura and Shikaku laughing. Putting a smile on her face after her laughter died down, Sakura knelt down by the flower she had finished planting moments before. Touching it's leaves lightly. It was a white daisy. Simple, but with it's own beauty.

"Well this is a sight to see," a voice was heard, getting the attention of Sakura, Shikamaru, and his parents. "Sakura touching plants and hasn't killed them yet."

"Temari!" Sakura exclaimed, jumping straight up, and bolting over to hug her. "What are you doing here so early? I thought you'd get here later tonight."

"I left a little early after I got a message from Hinata," Temari replied, hugging Sakura back.

"What?" Sakura questioned, an eyebrow raised, as she pulled back from the hug. "What did she say?"

"She," Hinata's voice was heard, as she walked up, a smirk on her face. "Told Temari that you are on the edge of a psychotic break."

"I am not," Sakura shot back almost right away.

That only made Temari and Hinata raise eyebrows, and pretend as if they were studying Sakura seriously. Temari speaking up first. "Yeah, I definitely see what you mean by "in denial" Hinata."

"I'm not having a psychotic break," Sakura insisted, not liking how Temari and Hinata were looking at her.

"I mean, if you didn't get here sooner I was afraid you'd miss the chance to say goodbye to her sanity," Hinata added, leading to her and Temari laughing.

Crossing her arms, Sakura grew an irritated pout on her face. "Of course you two gang up n me. I suddenly remember why I don't like being around you two when your together."

"Oh get over it," Temari shot back, a smirk on her face. "Hinata messaged me and said I should come early so we can hang out a bit more. That's fine right?"

Sakura nodded back, her pout forgotten, and a smile on her face. "Yeah, at this point were doing the smaller stuff. We don't have any full weeks yet."

"You know," Shikamaru spoke up, approaching where the girls were standing with his parents. His eyes on Sakura. "For someone who wanted to keep us working together on this on the down low, you've told two other people already."

"Well Temari and Hinata are like different," Sakura started, a hand propped on her hip, as she motioned at the two girls with her other hand. "They get a free pass when it comes to secrets. I can keep secrets, just not from them."

"This is true," Temari agreed, nodding alongside Hinata.

A smirk lifted on Shikamaru's face, as he focused back on Sakura. "So I can tell my friends?"

Meeting Shikamaru's eyes, with a smile on her face, Sakura replied. "No."

That seemed to amuse Shikamaru even more. "Really now?"

"Chances are, you would end up telling Ino even if it's not direct, and then by telling Ino, it's like telling the whole village," Sakura explained, getting his parents to laugh. "So it's best you don't tell anybody. Damage control and all that."

Shikamaru rolled his back at her. "Right. Because that's _so_ fair."

"Life's not fair Shikamaru," Sakura started up. "If it was, I would be able to fly, and I would be able to drink as much wine and eat as much chocolate as I want without getting fat.

That made the others start laughing, even Shikamaru couldn't help himself. Yoshino broke the laughter up first. "Would you ladies like to come inside for some lemonade? I just made it this morning."

"Yeah that would be nice," Hinata agreed with a nod of her head. Starting alongside Sakura and Temari after Shikamaru's parents.

Shikaku looked to his son, as they walked in. "I guess we'll stop the work for the day today. You can go off and meet up with your team if you want."

"I'll do that later," Shikamaru replied, his eyes moving from watching the back of Sakura's head as she walked alongside her friends to look at his dad. "I want to sit in the air conditioning for a while."

After getting some lemonade they settled down in the living room. Sakura being the last to plop down on the couch beside Shikamaru. Laughing when she bumped into him, and at him rolling his eyes.

Temari, having settled on the couch opposite to Sakura, smirked in Sakura's direction. "So, where should we start off Sakura? Your psychotic break or your many other life problems?"

"I've got a question," Sakura replied back, pulling her legs up on the couch, and leaning back on the cushions. "Where's our boyfriend?"

"Of course," Hinata started, shaking her head as she laughed.

"What?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

"She means," Temari started, before Sakura could speak. "My boyfriend Daymon. Which, she very well knows that she can just call him by his name."

"Well I mean pretty much the first year the two of you dated I just thought he was just a distraction for you," Sakura replied, laughing back at Temari. "But after I got the unfortunate news that he was sticking around, you know I had to upgrade his name to something more suiting than "the guy that stole my sister away from me"."

"He didn't steal me away Sakura. And don't act like you don't like him," Temari replied laughing. "Every time we all get together, you two tease each other for the first half of the time, and the second half is spent trying to make my life hell."

"Well after three years, I've found that we at least have that in common," Sakura replied, shrugging her shoulders. Her eyes went to Shikamaru's mom. "She and this guy have been dating for three years and haven't gotten sick of each other already."

"Three years is a start that's for sure," Shikamaru's mom said, smiling in Temari's direction. "Do you think he's the guy for you?"

That caused a big smile to grow on Temari's face. "I don't like to put too much emphasis on romance and relationships, but at this point I couldn't imagine my life without him."

Sakura shook her head, as she crossed her arms. "Geez Temari I really hope you didn't tell mom that. Because if she finds out that I'm the last single child in the family-"

"You aren't," Temari interrupted, rolling her eyes at Sakura's words. "Which you know, but refuse to acknowledge. Kankuro's not sure what he's doing with this girl he's involved with now, and Garra's not looking for any relationships right now."

"That doesn't really count. Mom has never had any concern with them, because she knows at some point they will actually settle down," Sakura replied, before shaking her head again. "Me on the other hand, she has the impression that I'm never ever going to settle down. So she is always getting in my business trying to figure out what is wrong with me."

Hinata laughed at Sakura's words. "She doesn't think that."

"Oh she does," Sakura replied, laughing sarcastically, as she shook her head. "I just don't really put emphasis on dating and relationships, because I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of person. If I find someone that I can stand for more than two minutes, then that's great and all. But, I'm in no rush to do any of that stuff."

"Amen to that," Shikamaru said offering his hand to Sakura, which she high fived it.

"At least Shikamaru's on my side," Sakura said, grinning ear-to-ear in Temari and Hinata's direction.

"I'm not on anyone's side here." Hinata pointed out, an eyebrow raised at Sakura's laughter. "What?"

"Yes you are," Sakura disagreed, grinning even more than she was before. "You can't honestly tell me that if Naruto wasn't as stupid as he is, and finally asked you out on a date, you wouldn't drop everything in split second to go out with him?"

Hinata's cheeks flared pink, and she irritably glared at Sakura. "Thank you for bringing that up."

"Everybody in this damn village knows that you and Naruto are all over each other, without actually making verbal or physical contact," Sakura rolled her eyes, laughing along with the others in the room.

"Ino talks about it all the time," Shikamaru offered as well, amused at how Sakura and friends acted. Even more amused when Hinata glared at him.

"Thanks so much for that," Hinata told him sarcastically.

"Hinata you just wait," Shikamaru's mom said, a warm smile on her face. "The time for you and Naruto will come."

Hinata smiled politely at Shikamaru's mom. But Sakura just rolled her eyes before continuing on her rant. "Yeah, well when that happens Hinata, don't tell my mom. Because then she'll have an even bigger excuse to think something's wrong with me. I mean the last time I even brought up a guy I had been dating to my mom, there were questions of marriage and kids in like two minutes. Which was about as horrifying as it sounds."

Temari shook her head, still holding an amused expression on her face. "Mom is just curious to see if you are going to go down that path eventually Sakura."

Sakura scoffed at the thought. "Well I think she just honestly needs to lower her expectations of me a tad bit. I don't tend to follow paths that well. I just tend to do things differently. I actually do a lot of things backwards than most people. Like her expectation is for me to find some overly perfect gentleman, fall dramatically romantically in love, some big proposal, followed by an even bigger wedding, and then children. Which as much as all of that sounds terrifying to me, that's her expectation. Her real expectation should be that I might possibly do all that in a whole different context. Most likely all jumbled up and backwards."

Hinata shook her head. "Of course something like a committed relationship terrifies you."

"No, that is not what terrifies me," Sakura pointed at Hinata. "My mom terrifies me. When she says all that stuff, she means it. And it's going to be a big deal too. I mean it's not like I wouldn't value a serious relationship if it comes down to it, but I'm not going to put effort to make it into some fairy tail. My mom's just going to have deal with the bumps and bruises that is my life, and lower her expectations of me all the way down to the floor."

"Again," Shikamaru said, smirking at Sakura. "I feel the same way."

"I'm not all over you about that stuff," his mother disagreed, a frown on her face.

Shikamaru laughed back at his mom. "Yes you are. Every day. Ever since I became a Jounin it's like you expect me to bring home a girl and tell you we are getting married everyday."

Shikamaru's dad grew a smirk on his face to match his son's smirk. "It's kind of true."

Shikamaru's mom only grew a concerned look in her eye. "Well to be honest, I can't help but be concerned about your future-"

"Oh no," Shikamaru interrupted, shaking his head. "I don't need this lecture right now."

That made the others laugh in the room. Sakura's eyes went to Temari after the laughter died down. "Well be glad mom isn't putting as much pressure on you as it feels like she is putting on me. For some reason I have a feeling it's because you are older."

"I'm twenty Sakura," Temari said, shaking her head. "You are only just barely two years younger than me. You are the youngest in the family, and she's just curious to see how you turned out… Besides she already brought up the marriage and children talk to me. Actually she brought it up to me over tea when I visited her before coming here."

Sakura's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry," she before shaking her head. "That must have been horrible. Because if it was anything like the conversation she had with me, it was invasive, and made you want to die on the spot of humiliation."

Temari didn't seem at all bothered by it, as she shrugged. "It wasn't that bad. Because unlike you, I'm in a serious relationship. We ended the evening with a glass of wine, and we actually ended up talking about you-"

"Whyyyyyyyyyyy?" Sakura asked, as she slapped her hands on her face. "Why are you talking about me?"

"Well for starters," Temari said, seeing Hinata's raised eyebrow, she just gave a swift nod. "You've been getting into trouble lately, and mom and I were discussing what needed to be done to get you to straighten up."

Sakura understood Temari's lack of specifics, and just played along. "Well, I'll have you know I like to keep my life slightly askew, because a straight path in life is about as boring as watching paint dry."

The others laughed at that, Temari on the other hand was interested in pursuing the conversation more. "Right, well as much as I want to debate with you on the way you view life and relationships, there is something more important. Where are we eating tonight?"

"The Sex Club," was Sakura's immediate reply.

Almost immediately that caused Shikamaru to choke on his lemonade, and he started coughing.

Sakura looked over at him, and raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually dying? Like should I put effort into saving your life right now?"

That made the others laugh, Shikamaru just caught his breath. "You're going where?"

That's when Sakura realized why he did that, and she laughed. "Oh, you don't know what the Sex Club is."

"It's a sushi place, not very far out of the village. In that small village to the east," Hinata explained since Sakura had started laughing.

"It's only about forty five minutes if we run, and maybe a couple hours if we walk," Temari added with a nod. "It's not actually called the Sex Club, but that's just what people call it these days."

"We've gone before," Shikaku added, referring to himself and his wife. "You didn't want to go anywhere the day we went, so you stayed home."

"That's completely shocking," Sakura said, laughing along with the others. Her eyes sparkling as she looked to Shikamaru. "I'll have to take you sometime then. You won't stay home when I ask."

Shikamaru stared back at Sakura. "I'm sensing the same vibes from when you said I had to enjoy this party planning or else."

"Oh look, you're actually learning," Sakura laughed, before her eyes went to Hinata and Temari. "To be quite honest, I don't really know if I want to go anywhere with you two. I can already sense the lectures on how I need to get my life together."

"Oh that's great," Temari started, looking to Hinata. "She's actually learning."

The others started laughing at Temari using Sakura's own words against her, and Sakura just shrunk down in her seat. Crossing her arms and grumbling.

Looking over to Sakura, to see how she was acting made Shikamaru smirk. _She's actually pouting._

Temari moved to stand up then after sharing a look with Hinata. Her eyes went to Shikamaru's mother. "Thank you so much for the lemonade, but Hinata and I have a lot of interrogating to do."

Hinata stood up as well. "We've got to get in as much as we can, before she runs off."

"I'll have you know, I'm already planning my escape," Sakura replied, standing up as well. Collecting her glass, Temari's, and Hinata's. Moving over to the kitchen to put them in the sink.

Straightening up on the couch, Shikamaru's eyes followed Sakura. "Don't forget your part."

"And you don't forget yours," Sakura shot back, a smile in his direction.

"What part?" Hinata questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"We both have to put in some ideas for what we want the layout to be for the party," Sakura explained, finishing putting the glasses in the sink. "We both agreed to at least five ideas each."

Temari raised an eyebrow. "Shikamaru agreed to that? It doesn't seem like his thing."

"Sakura's threatened me into participating," Shikamaru's explained, a smirk on his face. "That's the only reason why I'm doing this."

That had Temari and Hinata laughing, as they started to the door. Sakura paused at the door, and turned to face the others. "I guess I'll see you after this weekend. I hope you have a nice trip outside the village."

"And hopefully you'll have fun this weekend," Shikamaru's mother replied, a smile on her face. "Nobody will really be here this weekend I guess. We'll be gone, and Shikamaru will be training."

"Again I don't think this is fair," Shikamaru replied groaning. "I'm the only one having to do work."

Sakura laughed at his complaint. "Life's not-"

"Fair, I know," Shikamaru interrupted, before looking at her. "I'm not going to miss you at all this weekend."

"Likewise," Sakura shot back, sticking out her tongue at him. Grinning before leaving out the door after Temari and Hinata.

 **Later that evening**

Finishing up pouring wine in their glasses, Hinata returned the bottle back to the coffee table, then settled back on the couch beside Temari. They had returned back to the village only about fifteen minutes ago. After changing into pajamas, they moved to the living room. Her eyes slid over to Temari after grabbing her glass. "Like I was saying, this has been going on for a couple weeks now."

"I'm not even the slightest bit of surprised," Temari replied, sipping at her wine. "Sakura attracts trouble."

"I don't do it intentionally," Sakura broke into the conversation, lounging across the couch that was across from them. Shadow was laying beside her, and Tank more on top of her lower half. She had already downed half the glass of wine that Hinata had poured her.

"She also still hasn't told anyone else-"

"That's not true," Sakura interrupted Hinata, a frown on her face. "I talked to Shikamaru about it a couple times."

That had Hinata raising an eyebrow. "All of it?"

Sakura was quiet as she traced the rim of her wine glass. "Not exactly-"

"Then you haven't really told him Sakura. Just because he knows that you've been followed doesn't mean anything," Hinata interrupted, shaking her head.

Temari chuckled, as she noticed Hinata rolling her eyes. "I mean at least she's told him that much. That's progress," she offered in Sakura's defense, as she sipped her wine. "What's the deal with that anyways? How can you even tell Shikamaru stuff that you won't even tell your teammates?"

"That's not fair," Sakura replied almost immediately. "You have no idea how annoyingly persistent Shikamaru is. He's almost as good at it as I am."

"No one's as annoyingly persistent as you," Hinata pointed out, her eyes moving to where Baby jumped up on her lap. Rubbing her head against the side of the wine glass.

"That's why I said 'almost'," Sakura shot back, then she sighed heavily. "He drove me crazy about it, and I finally told him just to get him to back off. You try keeping secrets from someone you spend almost all day everyday with."

"You've been keeping it from your team for a while," Temari pointed out, smirking when Baby moved over from Hinata's lap to hers. Also rubbing her head up against her wine glass.

"Well Shikamaru's not as easily scared off like they are. All I have to do is threaten them a good bit, before they back off. Shikamaru's different," Sakura replied, before she groaned when Tank pawed is way more on top of her. "Tank sitting on my bladder is not helping anything right now."

After that, Sakura set her wine glass down, and got up to go used the bathroom. It wasn't until she had walked back to her bedroom that Temari looked to Hinata with a serious look on her face. "How bad is it getting?"

"Bad enough to where Sakura's getting paranoid everytime she walks outside. Thinking someone's always following her," Hinata whispered back, knowing very well Temari was talking about the people following Sakura. "I'm worried about her."

"Me too," Temari agreed, sighing heavily as her eyes went to the direction of the small hall Sakura's bedroom was off of. Thinking about the conversation she had with their mother before coming here. _We're all getting worried._

 **Three days later, Sunday**

Turning to go down the next aisle, Sakura paused to grab some groceries from the shelf. She had said goodbye to Temari earlier that morning, as the blonde sand kunoichi had to return back to the Sand village. After Temari had left around noon, she left to go shopping at the market for some groceries. Her eyes went down to her shopping list to cross those items off she grabbed off.

"Sakura!"

Hearing her name, Sakura looked up, and down the aisle to see no-one. Then turned her head to look back behind her to see it was Shikamaru and his parents. His mother being the one who had said her name. "Oh hey."

"How was your weekend with Temari?" Yoshino asked, as she walked over with her son and husband.

"It was good. We behaved ourselves," Sakura replied, before a mischievous smirk grew on her face, and she spoke under her breath. "Mostly."

Shikamaru was close enough to hear her, and had chuckled and shook his head.

"How about your trip out of the village?" Sakura asked.

"It was nice. We got what we needed to done," Yoshino replied, smiling as she looked to her son. "Shikamaru however, didn't do much of anything this weekend."

"That's not true," Shikamaru disagreed.

Shikaku laughed at his son disagreeing, as his eyes went to Sakura. "He was laying on the couch when we left, and was there when we got back."

Rolling his eyes at how that made his mom and Sakura laugh. "I did do stuff this weekend."

Sakura laughed again, and rested her hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "Of course you did Shikamaru. We all believe you."

Slipping Sakura's hand off his shoulder, Shikamaru tried to hide the smile edging onto his face. "I don't appreciate your sarcasm."

"Well that's too bad; I'm in a sarcastic mood," Sakura replied, moving her hand up to rub the back of her neck. "Temari apparently had zero tolerance for my sarcasm this weekend. After nearly dying from when Temari threw a shoe at my head yesterday morning, I've been having to hold back."

That made the others laughing. Shikamaru's laughter subsided after noticing scratches on Sakura's neck where she had been rubbing. As well as scratches that went onto her shoulder, and then a few on the side of her face. Without really thinking much about it, he reached forward, and touched her face where the scratches were. "What did you do?"

"Oh yeah, that's Baby's doing," Sakura said, realizing almost immediately what he was asking about. Her hand slid up to her face to rest where his hand had been. "This is actually why I'm grocery shopping now. Baby needs cat food, and I'm making sure Baby doesn't kill me in my sleep tonight for not feeding her properly. Early this morning, I woke up to Baby's claws digging into the side my face. When I moved to get her to stop, she spazzed out, and scratches my neck and my shoulder up. I walked out into the living room to find her sitting by her empty food bowl. It's like she knew that because she was out of food, she should destroy my face to make food magically appear. It's actually kind of unfair because she didn't even touch Temari, and she was sleeping like right next to me."

Shikamaru chuckled at that, then a smirk grew on his face. "You haven't healed them yet?"

"I got distracted- oh!" Sakura's eyes widened, as she reached forward and grabbed Shikamaru's hand. "Come here real fast."

"Okay…" Shikamaru trailed off before being led down the aisle by Sakura. _She certainly does get distracted._

Sakura paused, let go of his hand, then she pointed up towards the top of the shelf. "Will you get that down for me?"

Almost immediately, Shikamaru started to smirk again. Reaching up to grab the can that she wanted, as he looked at her. "Aw, you can't even reach the top shelf-"

"Alright!" Sakura interrupted him, as she snatched the can from his hand. "You're not allowed to make fun of how short I am."

At Sakura's spit-fire response, Shikamaru laughed as he followed her back to where his parents and her shopping cart was. She only stood almost half a head shorter than him, but it was still amusing at how just those few inches affected her so much. "Well you make it too easy."

"I do not," Sakura shot back, as she set the can down in her cart, and crossed it off her list. Smiling when she noticed Shikamaru rolling his eyes and smirking at her. "Well thanks to your oh-so-generous help, I've only got a few more things to get, then I can go home and do nothing for the rest of the day."

"We're going to go ahead and go," Yoshino said, a smile having been across her face as she watched her son and Sakura interact. "I've got a lot of cleaning to do now that we're back home."

Sakura nodded back at Yoshino. "Okay, well I'll be seeing you tomorrow I guess."

While Shikamaru's parents started to move, Shikamaru paused. His dad noted his lack of movement. "Son?"

Shikamaru's eyes went to Sakura, then back to his parents. "I'll come home later. I think I'm going to stick around here, just in case Sakura's shortness causes more problems."

"I told you to not make fun of my shortness," Sakura shot back, a hand propped on her hip, and an irritated look in her eye. But it wasn't enough to keep a smile from her face.

Both of his parents laughed at her response, but his mom was the first to speak. "Alright, that's fine."

"I'm sure we'll see you around," Shikaku added towards his son, before turning to leave with his wife.

After his parents walked away, Sakura started forward with her cart. Shikamaru had fell into step with her, and watched as she looked down at her list. It wasn't until after they turned onto the next aisle that he reached over to maneuver the cart to keep it from hitting the shelves. Finally getting her to look up from her list. "You're terrible at multitasking."

"I am not."

At her immediate response, Shikamaru smirked. "You are too."

"No I'm not..." Sakura trailed off, as she looked back down at her list. "I'm just making sure I'm not forgetting anything. It's a difficult task."

"Right," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes, then laughing when she smacked his shoulder. "Alright, I'll push the cart, and you can focus on the list."

"I knew you were good for something," Sakura replied back with a smile, laughing at Shikamaru's eye roll. Starting down the aisle, her smile widened when she heard Shikamaru's laughter.

 **Almost an hour later**

Shikamaru's laughter filled the silence in Sakura's apartment. Mixed in with Tank's barking, and Baby's hissing. Which seemed to fuel his laughter even more.

Sakura shooed Tank away from Baby and her food bowl, and the barking and hissing stopped. Tank had been trying to get to Baby's food out of her bowl, and it caused Baby to hiss and swat at him. Which had been the source of Shikamaru's amusement. Sakura had been trying to keep Tank away from Baby, and was trying to keep from laughing. "Tank, you have your own food. Leave Baby's alone."

Shikamaru laughed again at Sakura's words. Having been sitting back on her couch, and watching her from the living room. "I don't know why you bother. He'll go back in a few minutes. Then we will be back to hearing barking and hissing."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders then, leaning up against the counter top, as she looked down at Baby. "At least she's not attacking me now-" Breaking off at a beeping sound, she turned, and went to the toaster over. Opening it up, she pulled out two ham and cheese sandwiches. "Do you want anything else on your sandwich apart from mustard and mayonnaise?"

"No, I'm good."

Sakura hummed lowly as she finished up their sandwiches, and put chips on their plates. Placing the plates on the bar, she turned to fill up their drinks. Hers a mixture of lemonade and sweet tea, and his plain sweet tea. She turned back to find he was already sitting at the bar, and biting into his sandwich. A smile stretched across her face, as she set their drinks down, and joined him at the bar. "You're welcome."

"Thank you," Shikamaru spoke through a mouth full of sandwich.

Laughing at that, Sakura shook her head, and took a bite from her own sandwich. Her eyes flickered down to the folder beside her plate. Her eyes flickering over the papers.

"So what do you think?" Shikamaru questioned, having watched her for a moment. The folder was from his bag. She had taken it out without asking him almost as soon as they got back from the grocery store.

"Honestly," Sakura started, after taking another bite of her food. Chewing then swallowing, she flipped a page in the folder. It was some layout ideas for the party. "It's not bad. Pretty good actually. I'm just surprised you did work."

"I told you I did work this weekend," Shikamaru said, sipping at his tea, and then smirking at her. "Of course, I only did it because I kept hearing this tiny annoying voice in my mind that kept reminding me that I had to do this or suffer the consequences. You know, now that I think about it, it kinda sounded like your voice."

"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed, but broke into laughter instead of irritation. Her laughter increasing when Shikamaru joined her. _This was a good Sunday._

* * *

 **A/N: Long time no uploads! Sorry about that everyone! I've been busy, and it's been hard trying to find time to write. But, I'm hoping to be back into the swing of things. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I loved the ending part, as well as the scene after Temari showed up. What was your favorite part?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

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	6. The Intruder

_Review:_

" _I told you I did work this weekend," Shikamaru said, sipping at his tea, and then smirking at her. "Of course, I only did it because I kept hearing this tiny annoying voice in my mind that kept reminding me that I had to do this or suffer the consequences. You know, now that I think about it, it kinda sounded like your voice."_

" _Hey!" Sakura exclaimed, but broke into laughter instead of irritation. Her laughter increasing when Shikamaru joined her. This was a good Sunday._

* * *

 **The next day, Monday, May 18th**

Unsure as to why he was awake, Shikamaru stretched his legs out, and turned over on his bed. Keeping his eyes closed, as he didn't want to know what time it was. I just want to go back to sleep. Stretching his arms out next, he grabbed one of his pillows and pulled it closer. Although he noticed something odd with the texture and weight of his pillow that had him finally opening his eyes. Only to meet the emerald green eyes of Sakura.

"Good morning."

Unlike Sakura, who was as calm as can be with her greeting, Shikamaru's reaction was full of surprise. His hand had been resting on her waist, and had been what he had grabbed. Shooting backwards, the bed disappeared under him, and he found himself on the floor. Once on the ground, he groaned, and sat up. His eyes moving to the clock, before back to Sakura. "What are you doing? It's five in the morning!"

Laying on her side now, Sakura propped her head up with her hand, and smiled at him. "You are very touchy feely in your sleep, you know?"

"Sakura," Shikamaru started, rubbing his face as he groaned again.

Moving so she was laying on her back, Sakura slipped her hands back behind her head. "I'm here because we're going running."

Shikamaru's focus snapped back to Sakura, as he froze. "Excuse me?"

"We are going running," Sakura repeated, glancing back over to him, her smile back on her face "You also seem to lack the ability to hear in the morning too."

"I am not going running," Shikamaru shot back, getting up then, back in bed and under the covers. Closing his eyes, he turned away from Sakura.

"Yes, you are," Sakura insisted, not planning on giving up. "It is bright and early Shikamaru. It is the perfect time to go running."

Shikamaru sighed heavily, then he rolled over to face Sakura. "Do I seem like a get up bright and early to go running kind of guy?"

Sakura moved back onto her side, inches away from Shikamaru. "Do I seem like the kind of girl to accept any answer except for the one I'm looking for?" She questioned, before she suddenly moved and pushed him back by his shoulders. This caused him to fall back off his bed. "Now go get ready."

Shikamaru sat up, and frowned at Sakura. "You are so damn persistent."

"Thank you," Sakura replied, a happy smile on her face. "Now, you need to go get dressed. You are already halfway there because of how you sleep."

At her noting that, his arm moved across his bare chest.

"While you do that I'm going to stay here because your bed is really nice and comfy," Sakura said, as she finished up stretching out. Rolling over so she was facing away from him. Getting comfortable fairly quickly. "Don't take too long. I'm not too nice when I am kept waiting."

Staring at Sakura in silence for a long moment, Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed. _Troublesome woman._ Opening his eyes again to look back at her, his eyes followed her figure. The way her clothes fit her, showed off her figured in a way that had his cheeks warming up. Realizing he had been staring at her, he shook his head, and pushed himself to get up.

 **An hour later**

"I still can't believe you put in the effort to put on a shirt."

"You keep acting like I'm going to get less annoyed at you for making me do this," was Shikamaru's reply to Sakura's statement. "Just so you know, I'm still very much annoyed."

Sakura only seemed to smile more at his statement. "Oh stop," she started, moving forward and bit, and spinning around to face him. Throwing her arms out happily. "The weather is nice, and this view is amazing."

Shikamaru's eyes flickered around them. They were a top one of the cliffs in the forest outside the east wall of the village. They both had slowed down in their run to a stop to take a break. He did have to admit the view was stunning. He didn't spend much time in the forests in the eastern direction from the village. When he did it was just to past through, not look at the scenery. His eyes swept back to Sakura, watching her turn and look back out at the view. His eyes studying her for a moment. _Th_ _e view is amazing indeed._ "What inspired this early morning run?"

"I've already told you-"

"I know what you said," Shikamaru interrupted her, moving to stand beside her. "But I sense it's not as simple as the 'perfect day to go running' though."

That seemed to soften the smile on Sakura's face. "I'm just a little stressed. Running helps clear my mind," she answered him honestly, her eyes slipping over to him. "I just bothered you to go with me, because I like to run with other people. I couldn't ask Hinata, because she's still mad at me after the last time I made her run with me. I was angry, so I kept going for five hours with hardly any break time. She didn't speak to me for a little while after that… I didn't really sleep that much last night either, so I was hoping a run would make me up. The perfect distraction..."

After Sakura trailed off they remained in silence for a moment. Shikamaru studying her. Finding himself surprised at her right away honest answer to his question. He was tempted to question her further, but decided against it. Instead, he decided to help her distraction. "So where are we going next?"

That seemed to bring the light back to Sakura's face, as a grin grew. "I've got a few more places I'd like to go."

 **A couple hours later**

"I think we should talk to the anbu."

"I don't that's necessary-"

"Our son is missing Shikaku!" Was what Yoshino interrupted her husband with. Following him out onto the front porch to sit on the swing with their morning coffee. "It's a few minutes past eight and our son is not here. He didn't have a mission schedule, and you know that he always leaves a note if an emergency comes up."

Settling down on the porch swing after his wife, Shikaku sighed and sipped his coffee. "He's probably training then. He doesn't always have to tell us what his schedule is everyday-"

"I always know what's going on with our son," Yoshino interrupted her husband as if suggesting otherwise was completely ridiculous. "He doesn't have training today because we have work to do today. I honestly think whatever it is, is definitely not normal-"

"And we're done!"

The exclamation that interrupted Yoshino came from the front yard. The voice, clearly belonging to Sakura, got their attention almost immediately. Sakura and Shikamaru both appeared, and stopped a few feet from the steps to the porch. Both were sweating a good bit, and breathing hard.

"What in the world?" Yoshino questioned, getting up from the swing, and walking over to the top of the stairs. Her husband not far behind. Staring down the steps to her son and Sakura with raised eyebrows.

Before either Yoshino or Shikaku could say anything, Shikamaru and Sakura had started laughing. Sakura's eyes went to Shikamaru, and they were sparkling. "I'm surprised you managed to keep up with me."

"Don't act that surprised," Shikamaru shot back, a smirk on his face. "Just because I don't prefer to put much effort into things, doesn't mean that I can't."

"That's still surprising to me," Sakura said, laughing a bit more, before smiling at his parents. "Oh, good morning."

Shikamaru, with a smirk on his face, also looked to his parents. "I ended up getting up at five this morning. Not by my free will of course. Someone showed up and forced me out of bed to go running with her this morning."

That had Sakura laughing, and pushing his shoulder. "Don't act so pouty about it. You were having fun."

Shikamaru shook his head, but couldn't keep a smile from his face. "I don't like running that much."

"Well you seemed to like it when we were running today," Sakura replied, smiling back at him.

"You actually got him to run?" Shikaku intercepted the conversation, before Shikamaru could say anything back to Sakura. "This early in the morning?"

That had Sakura nodding, as she propped her hands on her hips. "It wasn't that hard to get him to agree to it- Oh thank you."

Yoshino had turned and walked inside, only to return back with two water bottles for her son and Sakura. Handing them both the bottles. When she handed Shikamaru his, her eyes held concern. "You know what time it is right?"

"Yes mom, I know," Shikamaru replied, taking a long swig from the water bottle. His eyes went back to Sakura. "Oh yeah, so willingly agreed after you pushed me off my bed, twice!"

Looking Shikamaru up and down, Sakura scoffed before she laughed. "You fell off all by yourself the first time."

"Either way, I got up. Not really by my free will, but I got up," Shikamaru explained to his parents. "She's the kind of person who you can say 'no' to several times, and all she hears is what she wants to hear."

Sakura seemed to grow even happier with that being said. "Aw, you're learning," she laughed, then looked to his mother. "If you don't mind, I'm going to grab a shower, and then I'll help you make breakfast."

"That sounds like a plan," Yoshino replied, a smile on her face despite still surprised by her son being out so early in the day.

Sakura downed the rest of her water, then went inside the house. Once in one of the guest rooms, she grabbed the bag she had set down in there before going to wake up Shikamaru earlier that morning. Stepping into the bathroom, she turned on the water, and stripped off her clothes. Grabbing her shower stuff from her bag, she stepped into the shower, and let the water pour over herself. Along with the thoughts she had been holding back while running this morning.

The night before, she was out with Shadow and Tank to get out some of their energy before bed. She got the sense of being watched again, but this time it seemed more persistent. It didn't go away when she actively froze and looked around several times. The feeling of being stalked didn't disappear until she was finally back at her apartment. While it was gone, it was still unnerving to her. Which led to her tossing and turning all night, and was why she was ready to get up this morning.

Sighing heavily Sakura reached for her body wash, and shook her head. _I know I'm just being paranoid and over-thinking this whole thing, but I keep have this sinking feeling that this isn't going to go away._

 **The middle of the night**

Seeing darkness, Sakura froze in her spot, her whole body became alert. Time slowed down around her, as all she could hear was the sound of her heart beating. Only to stop when a foreign noise hit her ears. Feeling no movement from Shadow, Tank, or Baby was suspicious. Her hand wrapped around what she had been slowly reaching for under her pillow, then she shot up.

The clang of metal was heard. The kunai in her hand, meeting another foreign kunai. Her eyes took no time to adjust to her dark room, and her eyes met dark brown ones that belonged to a male. The rest of this person was covered in black clothing. Her observation was cut short, as the person tried to lunge at her. This caused them both to tumble backward onto the bed. Noticing once again the lack of movement from Shadow, Tank, or Baby. _It's like they have no idea what's going on._

Kicking the person off of herself, she jumped up, and spun to face the wall where the intruder landed. The moonlight shining in from her window was enough to light up the right side of the intruder. A symbol was just barely noticeable on his right shoulder patch, and it was enough to make her insides go cold.

Hands on her shoulders snapped her attention back to focus. Finding herself being pulled towards the window, then suddenly turned and slammed up against the wall. Her kunai knocked from her hand. Her head throbbed from making contact with the whole, and a lot of pain coming from her upper arm. The sound of shattering glass was heard.

Fighting past the pain, she managed to spin them around to where she was the one facing the bedroom wall. With this in mind, she kicked the guy away from her. Forcing him to let her go, and fly onto the wall. Not before she felt his blade slice across her arm where she already received an injury. The crackling of the wall breaking was heard, then the guy shot through the wall and outside. Not hesitating, Sakura followed quickly behind him. He had landed clumsily on the ground, and she took that to her advantage when she landed. Clenching her fist, she shot towards him, and slammed her fist into his shoulder.

The guy flew away from her, and to the ground. The amount of force caused an explosion of rock all in front of her apartment building. The cloud of smoke that followed had Sakura straining to see. Combined with the night sky, it made it even more difficult to get herself a good angle. However, when the smoke cleared, she found herself alone. The mysterious intruder was no longer to be seen.

Taking in a long breath, Sakura held it as she felt her heart racing. A frown deep on her face, as she looked down to the ground. An unsteady feeling in the pit of her stomach.

 **A couple hours later**

Standing with her arms crossed, Sakura surveyed the scene in front of her. A tight lipped expression on her face.

"I'm going to need some answers soon," Tsunade's voice called out from where she was standing across the destroyed ground in front of Sakura's apartment. Having been speaking to the anbu unit that was searching the area.

The appearance of Kakashi and Yamato was noted next. "What did you need Tsuna-" Yamato froze, his eyes catching onto all the destruction, then to Sakura.

Kakashi's eye had gone straight to Sakura. "Should I ask what happened or should I just stick with asking what you have been up to over the past couple weeks?"

Sakura just sighed and rubbed her temple where her head still throbbed. "I'm not sure I'm in the mood to answer either right now."

With that as Sakura's answer, Tsunade motioned for Kakashi and Yamato to come closer to her. Giving them the run down of what happened. As well as asking them both to work with the anbu to try to find tracks of the person that was here.

Yamato's focus went back to Sakura then after having surveyed the whole in her apartment wall. "Want me to fix that?" He asked, seeing Sakura nod, his focus went fully up to the floor Sakura's apartment was on.

Not more than a hundred feet away, was another ninja heading their way. Shikamaru. His eyes had been focused more towards the sky until noticing movement not far in front of him. Noticing the destruction, his pace picked up, and arrived not far from Tsunade, Yamato, and Kakashi. "What happened?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Yamato's wood style jutsu. Yamato had fixed Sakura's wall. The obvious paint difference was there, but at least it wasn't as exposed.

After Yamato finished, Tsunade spoke up. "A couple hours ago-"

Shikamaru wasn't really paying much more attention, after his eyes caught sight of Sakura. She was standing on the opposite side of the large rocky mess. Still in shorts and a t-shirt, her pajamas. Not hesitating, his feet already started him in her direction. She didn't even look his way when he approached. She just remained looking at the destruction with her arms crossed over her chest. "Are you alright?"

His question seemed to break her tense posture slightly, as she closed her eyes. Releasing a long sigh, before re-opening her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Sakura," Tsunade's voice was heard before Shikamaru could say anymore. "I have an anbu unit on it, and I'm planning to assign a couple more units once I get back to my office." It got quiet as everyone was expecting a reply from Sakura, but all they got was a slight nod. Tsunade's eyes went to Kakashi and Yamato. "Go ahead and get a move on then."

An anbu moved to fix the ground with a jutsu, a few seconds later the ground was smooth again. Then everyone disappeared apart from Yamato. His eyes on Sakura. "Your wall is done, it just needs to be repainted, but I can get some people to do it for you."

"Thank you," Sakura replied shortly, but hesitated from turning to go towards her stairs. "Please don't-"

"Tell Naruto or Sai," Yamato interrupted, knowing very well what she had planned to say. "I will let you be the one to tell them."

After that, Yamato disappeared. Sakura sighed heavily, and turned finally to go to the stairs to her apartment. Taking to them, she knew Shikamaru was not far behind her. It didn't take more than a few seconds from when she walked through the door, for Shadow and Tank to shoot out from her bedroom. Barking and whining as they got to her. Kneeling down, her eyes moved meticulously over them. Unable to see anything physically wrong, her mind went back to their lack of movement when the whole attack when down.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked, having closed her apartment door once he walked in. Watching her looking over Shadow and Tank.

Instead of replying, Sakura sighed, and started in the direction of her bedroom. Shadow and Tank on her heels. Her eyes catching onto Baby on the foot of her bed.

Not letting this go, Shikamaru started right after her, and into her room. The first time he had been in there, but he hardly gave much look to the surroundings as his focus was only on her. "Are you going to answer my- hey." He stopped her by reaching forward and taking her hand. His other hand going to her upper arm. "You got injured."

At him noting the injury, Sakura looked a little over her shoulder and to the spot on her arm. "I must have forgot about it," she replied, turning back to walk into her bathroom. Grabbing a washcloth to wash some of the dried blood off her arm. Hissing when some of the hot water got into her wound.

Not much after that, Shikamaru walked right into her bathroom. Reaching forward to pull her closer to him when she stepped away, he made sure she'd stand still, before kneeling down and opening her cabinets.

"Why are you going through my stuff?" Sakura questioned him irritably.

"Shut up," Shikamaru replied, searching a moment longer, before getting to what he was looking for. Standing back up, he held a roll of bandage in his hand. "Let me."

Surprisingly Sakura turned, and held out her arm. Giving him full access to wrap her wound. Holding a frown on her face was the only sign of her displeasure.

Starting to wrap the wound carefully, Shikamaru's eyes remained focused on the reflection in the mirror. While in person, Sakura's head was turned away from him. The reflection on the mirror showed her face to him. "What happened out there-"

"Can you lay off questioning me for a bit please?"

That led them into silence. While Shikamaru wanted to question her, he noticed a look in her eye that showed that she genuinely need a moment.

It wasn't until he finished wrapping the bandage around her arm, that she moved away from him. Leaving the bathroom for a moment, she returned a minute later. This time with clothes in her hand. "I need to change."

Nodding his head, Shikamaru left the bathroom, and into her bedroom. Once alone, his eyes went to the bed where Shadow, Tank, and Baby lay. Shadow and Tank's attention went straight to him, while Baby looked as if she didn't care he even existed. Looking around the rest of her room, he noticed right away where the hole in her wall had been. Then his eyes went to her shattered window. _What in the hell happened?_

 **A half hour later**

It was quiet as they approached Shikamaru's house. The past half hour was spent at the Inuzuka's. Sakura brought her dogs and Baby over there to get checked out. Knowing that whoever attacked her had done something to them to keep them from getting involved when they attacked. She insisted that Shikamaru just go home, and she'll be there whenever she finished at the Inuzuka's. But he had ignored her, and stayed with her. Her animals got the all clear, so they ended up leaving them there for the rest of the day, and started towards his house.

Shikamaru had only tried to question her once on the walk over to his house, but she was quick to say that she didn't want to talk about it. Which had brought them back to silence until they entered his house.

Both his parents were in the kitchen. His mother standing by the sink, his father sitting on one of the bar stools. "You two are a bit later than usual."

At Yoshino's words, Sakura put a smile on her face, as she slipped her bag off her shoulder and set it on the coffee table like usual. "That's my fault."

Finding himself fed up with Sakura refusing to say anything about what happened, Shikamaru frowned at her. "So you getting attacked in the middle of the night is your fault?"

"What?" Shikaku questioned almost immediately.

"What happened?" Yoshino added, her concerned eyes on Sakura.

Glaring darkly at Shikamaru, Sakura crossed her arms. "Thank you so much," she started sarcastically, before she turned a smile back on in his parents direction. "It's not that big of a deal-"

"Let's see," Shikamaru interrupted Sakura, staring at her, although speaking to his parents. "She refuses to actually talk about what happened, so I've only been able to come up with an idea of what happened. I arrived at her apartment to find Tsunade, Kakashi, Yamato, and an anbu unit. Which was in the process of searching the giant mess of rock that was in front of her apartment building-"

"Shikamaru," Sakura hissed. "Stop-"

"As well as Yamato having to fix the giant hole in the wall of her apartment, as well as the shattered window in her bedroom," Shikamaru interrupted her, ignoring her glare. "I've concluded that she was attacked last night, or really a few hours ago. But, I mean, that's all a guess, because she won't answer the simple question of what happened."

Glaring darkly at Shikamaru, Sakura clenched her fists. "Can you roll back on the telling my life to others thing? It's slightly starting to really get on my nerves."

Which amused his dad, but his mom remained worried. "You got hurt?"

Sakura only shook her head, as she motioned to her bandaged arm. "Oh this? This is nothing."

"Do you know why they attacked you?" Yoshino asked.

That seemed to drop the smile from Sakura's face, as her eyes seemed to glaze over. The image of the symbol she had saw on the intruder had a shiver go down her spine. She very well knew the reason, but held back. "I don't know."

Silence filled the room after that. Sakura finally broke it when she laughed, and put a smile on her face. "Honestly, it's not that big of a deal. Everything's all good now," she said, her eyes flickering over to Shikamaru. "So let's not make this into a much bigger deal than it actually is."

Which at Sakura specifically looking at him, Shikamaru frowned. "You can't just-"

Sakura coughed interrupting him.

"Sakura-"

Sakura coughed again, then crossed her arms at Shikamaru. Her eyebrows raised in his direction at him giving her a look as she had clearly done it on purpose. Seeing he wasn't going to say anything else, she looked to his mother. "So what's for breakfast?"

 **A few hours later**

"Okay, so those are my recommendations for who we should hire for the bartenders for the party and ball," Sakura was saying, as she finished writing down the contact information for each. Her eyes flickered over to Shikamaru when he didn't respond. His eyes showed he had been studying her. Finally she sighed, and shook her head. "So what if the first thing I did was find bartenders? I know what Ino says about me, but I'm not an alcoholic. You can stop judging me."

Shikamaru continued to stare at Sakura, a frown on his face. She had been keeping an upbeat happy attitude the past few hours. Keeping the attention away from what happened earlier that morning. He had been wanting to question her, but she kept herself busy and avoided any serious conversation.

Finally Sakura dropped her smile from her face, and met Shikamaru's eyes. "Okay, this can't keeping going on. I'm going to need you to stop staring at me. It's unnerving."

"Are you going to tell me more about what happened?" Was Shikamaru's counter.

"What is there to tell Shikamaru?" Sakura countered right back, sighing heavily. "I got attacked in the middle of the night, I fought with them, and then they disappeared. That's all that happened."

"We are both people of high IQ's. I've known that since being in the academy about you, and I'm not trying to sound conceded about myself, but I am a smart guy, highly smart guy," Shikamaru started, crossing his arms. "You said that whoever this was must have knew you animals with you, because they brought something to knock them out. So whoever it was clearly has to have been watching you, and have been thinking out this attack. Then from what you told me about that mission you had gone on with your team a couple weeks ago when you got attacked-"

"You are right Shikamaru," Sakura interrupted, more irritable now. "We are both people of high IQ's. So you should be able to understand that I clearly do not want to discuss this any further. You are beginning to really get on my nerves-"

The sound of someone clearing their throat by the doorway of the room interrupted Sakura. Both Sakura and Shikamaru looked over to see Shikamaru's dad there. It was silent for a long moment.

"What is it dad?" Shikamaru asked rather irritably himself.

Having sensed this wasn't exactly the best time, Shikamaru's dad just cleared his throat again. Rubbing the back of his neck. "There's- uh- someone here for you Sakura."

Sakura's eyebrows rose, before slapping a hand to her face. The one person who could be there was clear to her. "Damn it," she cursed, getting up from the ground to go downstairs. "This day just keeps getting better."

Once downstairs, Sakura stopped a few feet from the entrance to the hall the stairs were on. Staring across the room towards the couch closest to the kitchen. Hinata stood next to the couch, and was talking to Shikamaru's mom. Sakura could hear footsteps belonging to Shikamaru and his dad behind her.

However, as soon as Hinata heard Sakura, she looked over to meet Sakura's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Sakura was quiet for a moment, then nodded once. "Yeah I'm fine… How did you find out-"

"What?" Hinata interrupted angrily, propping both hands on her hips. "Were you not planning on telling me about this?"

"No, of course I was going to tell you," Sakura replied, walking further into the living room. "I just figured I'd wait until after I repainted the walls in my apartment so you wouldn't freak out as much."

"Wait what?" Hinata asked. "They came in your apartment!"

"This is exactly why I wanted to wait-"

"Have you gone mental?!" Hinata practically shouted interrupting Sakura. "In what world do you think it would be any different if you waited to tell me?!"

Sakura sighed heavily. "Will you please stop screaming at me?"

That made Hinata grow a very dark look on her face, as she moved over to Sakura quickly.

That seemed to change Sakura's attitude real quick, as she held her arms up. "Okay, I'm sorry-"

"Sit down!" Hinata interrupted, as she pushed Sakura by her shoulder to sitting on the couch.

"Ow, watch it," Sakura complained her hand going to her bandage on her arm. Although by the look on Hinata's face, she could tell even mentioning her injury was a mistake. "It's not that bad-"

"Well it looked bad this morning," Shikamaru interrupted Sakura, moving to sit down on the opposite side of the couch than Sakura.

Sakura took on another irritated look. "Would you stay out of my business-"

"Sakura be quiet," Hinata interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest. "You better explain everything or I swear on your grave, that you will be wishing those attackers finished you off so you wouldn't have to deal with me."

"Thank you Hinata. That really means a lot that you still threaten my life even when something like this happens," Sakura shot back, rolling her eyes. "Long, boring story short, I woke up around five. The guy was already in my room, and I heard him so I got up. We fought a little, and then this happened." She motioned towards her arm. "Then I kicked him into the wall, leading to the big hole. Once outside, I hit him hard enough to cause the damage out front. Then he disappeared. It was almost like magic with how fast everything happened. Just missing the fairy dust, but I guess my bleeding all over the place made up for it. Anyway, that's about it-ow!"

Hinata had reached over and took Sakura's arm. Starting to undo the bandage. "I have had it with your jokes Sakura. This is serious!"

"It's not that serious," Sakura mumbled back, then proceeded to flinch from Hinata's touch on her arm after taking the bandage away.

"Oh my god Sakura," Hinata started, leaning over a bit to observe the wound more. "Are those glass shards?"

Shikamaru's eyes snapped over at that. "You didn't say anything about getting cut by glass."

"Well with how much you've been questioning me today, I've hardly been able to say anything," Sakura snapped back, only to have her attention to be brought back to her arm when Hinata touched her wound again. Hissing in pain. "Stop touching it!"

"I have to get this glass out Sakura. Or would you rather go to the hospital?" Hinata countered, noticing Sakura's silence, she hummed. "That's what I thought."

"Hold on a second," Yoshino said, moving to get up from the couch. She disappeared down the small hall by the right of the kitchen, where her bedroom was, and came back a moment later. A first aid kit in hand. Handing it over to Hinata, before looking at the wound. "That doesn't look good."

"How did this happen?" Hinata asked, once she started picking out the shards of glass with tweezers.

That question had Sakura flashing back to being slammed back against her bedroom wall. Hearing the sound of glass shattering. "Well I had to kick the guy off of me, then after fighting back and forth, I guess my arm hit the window."

At Sakura's honest answer, Hinata's frown softened. "Sakura."

"What?" Sakura countered. "It's not like I planned to just throw my arm into the window."

Hinata sighed heavily, and shook her head. Staying quiet for a moment as she focused on getting the glass out of Sakura's arm. When she got all of it, she cleaned the wound, and grabbed more bandage.

It wasn't until Hinata's hand had rested on the back of her head, that Sakura made another noise. Hissing in pain, as she flinched and brought her free hand to her head.

"Oh my god," Hinata started, having finished the bandage on Sakura's arm, and focusing fully on the back of Sakura's head. Feeling the spot that made Sakura react like that. "You've got a huge bump on your head."

"I just found that out too," Sakura replied, rubbing her temple now. _That explains my headache._

"How-"

"I sort of got slammed into my bedroom wall. It's not that big of a deal, but it was around the same time that the window broke because of my arm," Sakura interrupted Hinata.

"You could have a concussion," Hinata hissed at Sakura, all back to being mad now.

"I doubt it," Sakura replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Hinata just propped her hands back on her hips. "So your head isn't hurting at all? You haven't been dizzy at all today?"

When Sakura was quiet, Shikamaru spoke up. "I've noticed her wavering throughout the day today."

Hinata frowned at Sakura's continued silence. Sighing heavily, she shook her head, and grabbed her bag. "You need to relax for the rest of the day Sakura. I'm not putting up with you making your injuries worse because you think you're invincible," she started, as she turned to go to the door. "I'm going to speak to Tsunade about what she's found out so far. It wouldn't surprise me that the situation is a whole lot worse than what you've told me."

"Great," Sakura grumbled, her eyes sliding over to Hinata to see her friend's angry glare. "Goodbye mother."

Rolling her eyes at Sakura's words, Hinata opened the door. "I didn't ask for your bad attitude."

"Oh, it's guaranteed everytime you feel like turning into my mother," Sakura shot back irritably, sighing heavily when Hinata shut the door harsher than normal.

"Are you sure she's your best friend?" Shikamaru asked after a moment of silence.

"She's actually a lot of fun when she's not trying to mother me to death," Sakura replied back, as she pushed herself to standing up.

"Didn't she just say to relax-"

"She's no longer here," Sakura interrupted, as she went to clean up the stuff from getting her bandage changed. Moving down the hall to the left of the living room to go into the guest bedroom to grab some tylenol for her head. _This day just keeps getting_ _better and better._

 **Later that day**

Shikamaru's eyes focused in on the back of Sakura's head. They were back upstairs, finishing up some more ideas for people they needed to hire for the party. As usual, Sakura had shut down the idea of relaxing for the rest of the day, and insisted they kept working. Even arguing with Shikamaru for quite a while on the topic, but she clearly won as they were back upstairs.

She was currently sitting at one of the desks in the room, while Shikamaru sat on the ground. He was watching her because he noticed her head drooping every once in a while. _She's falling asleep._

Almost as soon Shikamaru thought that, Sakura's head slipped from her hand where it was resting, and landed smack on the desk. With a loud thud. Then the sound of her groaning was heard.

"Are you doing alright over there?" Shikamaru asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," was Sakura's muffled reply. "That or gravity is just being a bitch."

"Something wrong?" Shikamaru posed the question as casual as he could. Having had her literally throw a shoe at him earlier to keep him from actively questioning her, he was trying to be less pressing.

However Sakura only seemed to find that amusing, as she laughed shortly. "You and your damn persistence."

Instead of questioning her further, Shikamaru stood up, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Dinner's going to be ready soon. We should go downstairs."

Surprised at Shikamaru not questioning her anymore, Sakura stared at him for a long moment. Standing up finally, she moved to follow him to the stairs.

When they were on the stairs, finally Shikamaru spoke to break the silence. "I think you should stay over here for the rest of the time we have to work."

"What?" Sakura asked, having not expected that to come out of his mouth.

"You should stay-"

"I heard what you said," Sakura interrupted, having to stop on the stairs when he stopped in front of her to look back at her.

"You haven't been getting that much sleep at your apartment, and no it wasn't just last night. Don't think I don't notice how tired you look every morning," Shikamaru explained to her, his arms crossed. "Even though you wouldn't admit it even if someone was threatening your life, you have been distracted because you keep thinking about the people that have been following you."

"Well me staying over here is completely unnecessary," Sakura replied back. "I'll be fine with a little less sleep than normal. That's not that uncommon. I'm used to it."

"And the being distracted part?" Shikamaru countered, but spoke before she could. "Either way, you admitted to the lack of sleep, which is enough. You can get more sleep here. Because I can't put up with you any longer when you are running on such little hours of sleep. You are a handful when you have energy, but it's like I should be wearing a full body suit of armor when you are tired. Because you get so cranky."

This actually amused Sakura, as she shook her head. "I do not."

"Oh you do," Shikamaru replied, as they finished going down the stairs. They walked the small hallway to the living room. Almost as soon as they were in the living room, his eyes went to his parents. "How do you feel about Sakura staying here for the rest of the time we are preparing for the party?"

This had Sakura's eyes go wide, as she looked to Shikamaru. "What?! Shikamaru! I didn't agree to this-"

Shikamaru's hand over her mouth had been what stopped Sakura from talking. However, that was a mistake on Shikamaru's part. She was quick to push his hand away

"I recommend not doing that again, because I bite. This was your one and only warning."

Chuckling, Shikamaru shook his head. "I'm not surprised you'd go that far."

It got quiet as Shikamaru's eyes went to his parents. They had both been sharing a look, before looking back to him. His dad shrugging. "We don't see why not."

His mother nodded in agreement, as her eyes went to Sakura specifically. "It seems kind of silly for you to keep going back to your apartment only to sleep when you're spending most of the days here."

"Then it's settled," Shikamaru said, then proceeded to flinch away from Sakura after she slapped his shoulder.

"Why?!"

Grinning at her irritated exclamation, Shikamaru leaned back closer to her face. "Are you mad about something?"

Which Sakura turns on Shikamaru and slaps his shoulder. "Why?!"

Which Shikamaru grins at her irritation. "Are you mad about something?"

"Shikamaru!" Sakura exclaimed, finding her face growing warm with frustration."I can't just stay over here. I have my animals to worry about-"

"You can just bring them over here with you Sakura," Yoshino interrupted, waving her hand. "It's not that big of a deal."

It was quiet, as Sakura tried to find another reason as to why this wasn't going to work. Failing, she just went with whatever came out of her mouth. "I am not some charity case who needs-"

"You know that's not how we think of you," Shikamaru interrupted Sakura. "This is purely just because it's rather useless for you to keep coming back and forth from your apartment to my house when you spend so much time over anyways. Our work load is going to get heavier as the weeks go on anyways. And like I said before, I don't think I can keep putting up with you when you are running on such little hours of sleep. You get so cranky, and it's tiring fearing for my life every time we see each other."

Finally Sakura's expression changed to one of amusement, as she crossed her arms. "I do not get cranky."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't!"

Shikamaru's smirk grew on his face, as he crossed his arms once again. "You are right now."

"That's because you are annoying me," Sakura replied, then she shook her head. "So I just want you to know that even with me agreeing to stay over here, that's probably not going to stop."

"I'll take my chances," Shikamaru shot back almost immediately.

Staring irritably at Shikamaru for a long moment, Sakura scowled and propped her hands on her hips. "You are getting on my nerves."

"Wow, I'm so shocked to hear you say that," Shikamaru replied, still amused at her irritation. "It's not like you've told me that five hundred other times today… And yesterday. And the day before that. And they day before that-"

"Shikamaru stop!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. This made Shikamaru and his parents laugh. Finally giving in, Sakura joined in their laughter.

* * *

 **A/N: So looks like Sakura will be temporarily moving into the Nara's house. After the attack, she might just enjoy a more secure environment. How do you think this move will go over? What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	7. We Have Your Back

_Review:_

 _Staring irritably at Shikamaru for a long moment, Sakura scowled and propped her hands on her hips. "You are getting on my nerves."_

" _Wow, I'm so shocked to hear you say that," Shikamaru replied, still amused at her irritation. "It's not like you've told me that five hundred other times today… And yesterday. And the day before that. And they day before that-"_

" _Shikamaru stop!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. This made Shikamaru and his parents laugh. Finally giving in, Sakura joined in their laughter._

* * *

 **The next morning, Wednesday**

Having left his house earlier than usual, Shikamaru was at Sakura's almost a half hour early. To his surprise, Sakura's door was already open before he got there. Freezing up. The thought of her getting attacked again was quick to his mind, but settled down when he heard Shadow and Tank barking from a few floors down. Moving over to the door, he paused when his eyes found Sakura.

She was standing with her back to him with a coffee mug in hand. Clearly still dressed in her pajamas. An old charcoal black quarter sleeve silk nightgown that reached barely to her mid-thigh. Without realizing it, he found himself checking out her legs. It wasn't until Tank and Shadow were approaching to go back inside that he made his presence known. "Your dogs are extra loud this morning."

Sakura visibly jumped at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. She clearly hadn't noticed him standing there, as she spun around quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"I got up earlier than usual," Shikamaru replied, stepping into her apartment, and closing the door after Shadow and Tank came in.

"Clearly," Sakura started, noticing how he was watching her for a long moment. Finally her eyes went down, and her cheeks flared red. "Oh god, I need to go put on some pants."

That had Shikamaru smirking as she turned to speed down the hall to her bedroom. Having noticing her cheeks flush red had him chuckling. Moving over to the couch he gave Shadow and Tank a little attention as he waited for her return.

It didn't take her more than five minutes to return fully ready to go. "I'm ready to go."

Shikamaru's eyebrows rose at the sight of her. She was only carrying one bag on her back, and another on her shoulder. "You've only got two bags."

"It's temporary Shikamaru," Sakura replied as if it was obvious. "We've only got another six and a half weeks until after the festival is over. I don't need to bring that much stuff. Besides, most of my clothes and shoes are in summon scrolls. So I don't have to take up too much space in my bags with those. Most of the stuff is for the dogs and Baby. Besides I still live here. If I need something, I can just come get it."

That had Shikamaru shrugging, as he stood up from the couch. "Well after having Ino as a teammate for years, I just assumed you'd be like her in that sense. She'd have at minimum five bags packed, and maybe even a few boxes."

"I bet she would," Sakura agreed, laughing along with Shikamaru. Reaching over, she picked Baby up from her cat bed on the counter top, and looked over to Shadow and Tank. "Let's go boys."

After locking up her apartment, they started their walk over to Shikamaru's house. It took them slightly a bit longer to get there than usual, as Shadow and Tank were making friends with some of the kids out in the Nara district. When the finally got to Shikamaru's house, both were laughing as they walked inside.

"Stop calling me that!"

"What?" Shikamaru asked, laughing some more. "It's true. You look like a crazy cat lady."

"I do not," Sakura disagreed, laughing despite trying to be serious. "Just because I'm holding my cat instead of restraining her in a carrier, doesn't make me a crazy cat lady."

"It just looks like it," Shikamaru said, laughing even more at Sakura's eye roll.

"I feel your judgment, and I don't appreciate it."

At Sakura's seriousness, Shikamaru had to stop and laugh more. Finally catching his breath, his eyes went over to his parents. "She carried Baby all the way here. I've been-"

"Making fun of me," Sakura interrupted, trying to be serious, but a smile crept it's way on her face. Her eyes went to Shadow and Tank, who had been all over sniffing at Shikamaru's parents. "Hey you two, cut it out."

"It's not trouble Sakura," Yoshino said, laughing as she pet both Shadow and Tank.

The second Sakura set Baby down, she went over to the couch, and jumped up on the arm beside Shikamaru's dad. Sniffing him a bit, she curled up and laid down. Only to hiss when Tank got to close. Leading to Shadow and Tank both barking, and Baby hissing.

Sakura grinned as she looked to Shikamaru. "Remember, you invited us here alright?"

Shikamaru shook his head, and turned. "Come on, you can put your stuff up in you room."

 **Later that evening**

Leaning back against the railing on the stairs, Sakura smiled as she watched Shadow and Tank running around. Baby sat on her lap, and was currently getting some much needed attention from Sakura. The sun was setting, and the village was growing still.

 _It's been an interesting day._ After putting her stuff away in what would be her room for the next month and a half, she spent the day trying to get used to the idea of living there. It wasn't that hard until after they had dinner, and she took her shower. Thinking of how different it was from her quiet and tiny apartment. It had been quite a while that she lived with other people. _It is a little comforting though. After the whole me getting attacked fiasco the night before last, it's nice to have other people around._

The sound of the front door opening was heard, making Sakura look over. Shikamaru was just shutting the front door back. His hair was down from it's usual up-do, and clearly still wet from his shower. Crossing the porch to sit on the opposite side of the step she was on.

Nothing was said for a few minutes, which was unsettling to Sakura enough to make her speak first. "Is this the part where you ruin the nice moment by asking me about what Tsunade came to speak to me about earlier? Because if so, I'm not going to just sit here and listen to you question me."

Shikamaru looked over to Sakura. "I wasn't-"

"First of all, I already got yelled at enough by Hinata yesterday, and that's enough lecturing for me," Sakura interrupted him. "Second of all, I already told you that Tsunade was only telling me that they hadn't found anything out yet. I wasn't even lying, so I don't know why you feel the need to think I am."

"But, I'm not-"

"I agreed to live here didn't I?" Sakura continued on to interrupt him. "That should be enough for you to stop worrying so much. But yet here we are-"

"Would you stop talking for five seconds?" Shikamaru interrupted her this time, a smirk on his face at her taken aback expression. "I understand you don't want to talk about it. Contrary to what you seem to believe, I'm not planning to bother you for more information. I understand you just want to take a break from all the talk, and that's fine. What's important is that I know you're going to be safe because you're here. That's good enough for me… for now anyways."

Sakura just sighed, and crossed her arms. "Great, so I get like a five minute break from your questions then."

"Well, if you want, I can just start questioning now-"

"No, I'm good," Sakura interrupted, lapsing them back into silence. Her eyes focused on Shadow and Tank for a bit more, then went over to Shikamaru finally. "So we don't have any work to do tomorrow, what are you planning on doing?"

Mirroring Sakura, by leaning back against the railing, Shikamaru sighed, as he relaxed. "If I can help it, I'm going to avoid training, and do nothing all day."

That made Sakura smile, as she focused back down on Baby in her lap. "Of course. I wouldn't expect anything less."

 **The next day**

"She must be catching up on sleep," Yoshino was saying, as she was starting on breakfast. "After the past couple nights, I don't blame her."

Shikamaru leaned further back on the couch cushions. "I wish you'd let me sleep in like that."

"Nice try," his mother replied, making his father laugh from where he sat on one of the bar stools. Sakura's cat sleeping on the stool next to him.

That laughter was cut short when the front door opened, and in came Shadow and Tank. Both the dogs went straight to their water bowl to drink up some water. Then in came Sakura. A thin layer of sweat on her skin, and drinking some water from a water bottle. Dressed in shorts, a tank, and some running shoes.

"You went out?" Shikamaru asked, an eyebrow raised at her nodding. "It's only eight in the morning."

"I went running," Sakura replied, sipping more of her water, as she caught her breath.

"How long have you been gone?" Shikamaru asked.

Thinking back to when she left, Sakura hummed. "I left the house around five or so."

"Three hour run, huh?" Yoshino questioned, a smile on her face. "You must have had some energy to get up that early."

"I guess," Sakura shrugged, pulling her shoes off, and going to set her water bottle on the bar top. Scratching Baby behind her ears when she looked up from her slumber. "Even though I have spent quite a bit of time over the past couple weeks, it's still a new environment to sleep in. Sleep is usually weird for me until I get used to the place I'm in- hey boys quit!" Sakura's attention went to Shadow and Tank when their playing around got to them growling and barking. Which when Sakura said to stop, Shadow automatically was like 'mom said stop, so it's time to stop', but Tank kept on a bit longer. "Tank."

At Sakura addressing him specifically, Tank finally quit messing around, and moved to go see what Yoshino was making for breakfast.

Rolling her eyes at Tank's nosy behavior, Sakura turned. "I'm going to shower. If Tank get's in the way, just tell him to go find me, and he'll leave you alone."

 **A few hours later**

Walking back into the sun room from the backyard, Sakura automatically felt Shikamaru's questioning eyes on her. She just got a visit from the anbu unit that had been looking into who attacked her. All they said was that whoever it was had been following her for some time now. Which had her thinking back to the familiar symbol she had seen on the guy who attacked her. A circle with a line down the center.

"You don't have to go have secret meetings."

"Shikamaru." Sakura started in complaint.

"I mean," Shikamaru said, shrugging his shoulders. "You could just actually talk about what's really going on."

"Fine!" Sakura snapped back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let's talk about how you have serious boundary issues."

That made Shikamaru scoff. "Coming from someone who just a few days ago woke up me up only to push me out of bed, and force me to go running for hours."

Sakura laughed sarcastically "Oh yeah, it was soooo terrible. It's not like you had any actual fun or anything."

Rolling his eyes at her comeback. "You're impossible to win an argument with."

"Then you should probably stop trying," Sakura shot back, a big smile on her face, as she stepped closer to him.

Shikamaru stepped even closer to her, leaving only a couple inches from their faces. Him having to slightly looked down at her shorter self. "Not. A. Chance."

Unable to help herself, Sakura started laughing. Soon to be joined by Shikamaru's laughter.

"What's so funny?" Shikaku's voice was heard after a moment.

Both Shikamaru and Sakura shared a look, before both chorusing "Nothing."

Raising an eyebrow, Shikaku grew a smirk on his face. "Alright then… Sakura there is some guys here for you."

Hearing faintly Shadow and Tank barking from the living room, Sakura turned and went to the doorway from the sun room into the living room. "Oh no."

Having just come inside, Sai and Naruto were standing there. Naruto having been riling up Shadow and Tank. The source of their barking.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura questioned at her teammates.

"Well we found out about what happened yesterday morning," Sai started, watching as Naruto got up from where he was kneeling down beside Shadow and Tank.

Naruto was nodding in agreement with Sai. "Then we also found out that you've been followed the past week or so. We found out from-"

"That bitch," Sakura interrupted Naruto, as she slapped a hand to her face. "Because I've pissed her off, Hinata suddenly thinks it's okay to tell you morons about what happened."

"Hey!" Naruto and Sai chorused. Sai speaking shortly after. "First of all, what are you even doing here?"

Sighing heavily, Sakura moved over towards the kitchen. She began to tell Naruto and Sai what exactly she was doing at Shikamaru's, but not anything about the attack.

Which of course was their next question. "And the attack?"

"I got attacked, that's all there is to say," Sakura replied to Sai's question, grabbing a cup from the cabinet to get some juice from the refrigerator.

"They went into your apartment Sakura," Naruto started, crossing his arms over his chest. "They knew that your pets were there. They are familiar with you."

"Tch," was the annoyed sound Sakura made. "Sounds like you already know what happened. Why should I repeat it?"

"I think it's connected to what happened a few weeks ago on our mission," Sai figured after a moment of silence.

That had Sakura slapping her cup down on the counter top, as she started to unscrew the top of the juice. "Why are you bringing that up again?"

Sai seemed to ignore Sakura's words completely, as his eyes went to Naruto."You know, I have a feeling this has been happening a lot longer than she's acting like it has."

Naruto nodded in agreement with Sai. "Yeah, a lot longer. There's a lot that she's not telling us-"

"Isn't that my decision if I want to tell you what exactly is going on?!" Sakura snapped finally. Clearly have taken both her teammates off guard. "Believe it or not, there are something's in my life that I don't tell you guys because it's in your best interest not to be involved. I don't like to talk about it because I don't ever want to be put in a position where they go after you guys because you know about what's going on."

It was quiet before Naruto spoke up "Sakura, we have your back."

Sai nodded. "No matter what."

Naruto continued on. "Even if you don't want to tell us now, you know that you always can depend on us."

"I know," Sakura agreed, her expression softening. "But, this is not something I want to involve you guys in. I don't want to involve anyone in it." She turned away to put the juice back in the refrigerator. "I'd appreciate if you guys would please let it go. Please."

It was quiet for a long moment. Finally Naruto moved to stand with both hands behind his head as he grinned. "Fine."

"Good," Sakura started, then turned around to face them. Propping both hands on her hips. "Because I'm not putting up with you two interrogating me anymore."

At Sakura propping her hands on her hips, both her teammates visibly flinched away from her. Naruto a little more dramatic. "Okay, okay! We already agreed so can you stop doing that?"

"What is she doing?" Shikamaru's dad asked.

"She's putting her hands on her hips," Naruto answered as if it was obvious. "That's probably the scariest thing she does."

At Naruto pointing at her, Sakura scowled. "Don't point at me. That's rude."

When Sakura took a step towards Naruto he literally jumped over one of the couches. "I'm sorry!"

That had everyone laughing. Finally Sakura sobered up her laughter, as she focused on Sai and Naruto. "If you two are sticking around, I'm putting you to work. You can go run out Shadow and Tank's energy."

Naruto was more than eager to get out of Sakura's line of fire. Sai just held a look of he'd rather do anything else.

Sakura just gave Sai a dangerous look. "Go away."

Flinching at Sakura's tone, Sai turned to go outside after Naruto. Grumbling irritably the whole time.

Once Sai and Naruto were gone, Shikamaru looked to Sakura. "Well that makes me feel slightly better that you don't tell them anything too."

Sakura's face lit up, as she laughed. "You know, I've probably told you more than I've told them. So that should make you feel real special."

"You have no idea," Shikamaru shot back, making both himself and Sakura laugh. _She really doesn't._

 **That night**

Staring across at the other side of the couch to emerald green eyes, Shikamaru studied them. It had been silent for a long moment. It was only a few minutes ago that he found himself being woken up by the sound of Sakura screaming from her room next door to his. He had woke her up, it took her a moment to calm down, then they went out here to the living room.

Sakura was silent, purely because she felt all sorts of shocks going through her body at the vivid nightmare from the attack then night before last. _I wasn't even aware that it bothered me that much until now._ Focusing back on Shikamaru, she frowned. "It was just a stupid nightmare. Everyone has them. I'm fine."

"Then it wasn't about what happened the night before last?"

Going back to silence, Sakura sipped at her glass of water, and finally looked back at him. "You are annoying to me at all hours of the day."

Rolling his eyes at her trying to turn this conversation, Shikamaru sighed. "I'll ignore that for now."

Sighing at the look of persistence Shikamaru held on his face, she knew she wasn't getting out of this one. Dropping her eyes down to Baby who jumped on her lap, then Shadow and Tank who were both stretched out on the floor by the couch. "It's hard to explain..."

At her saying anything at all, Shikamaru was taken aback, but kept his mouth shut. Wanting her to continue.

"I don't really want to tell you the full story," Sakura continued on, still keeping her eyes focused downward. "Because it's not really going to benefit you."

"It's not like we don't have time."

"I know..." Sakura once again trailed off, but this time it wasn't for that long. "Remember how angry I was about Naruto and Sai getting in my business?"

Nodding his head, Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest. "It's hard to forget. One time you nearly killed Naruto, and today I thought you were going to jump over the kitchen counters to kill Naruto and Sai."

"Well, I only get so mad because I don't want them involved. Just like I'd really like it if you weren't involved. It's better that not that many people know what's truly going on," Sakura said, then she shook her head. "However, I will tell you that this isn't exactly a new thing for me. It's happened for while. For a long while. Over the years I go through periods where they won't bother me in the slightest. But, that typically only happens because I had to make contact with them to force them to back off, if you catch my drift."

"I get it." Shikamaru said with a nod to continue.

"When I was almost sixteen, as it was one of those moments. Forcing them to back off. They left me alone the whole entire year I was sixteen. But, it was about a few months after I turned seventeen that they started popping up occasionally. Like around January. Not ever making contact, but just following at a distance. That didn't last however, as you know, my team and I were attacked on our mission. Just a few months after they started to show up again."

"What are they after? If they are that committed to come after you the past few years, and I'm assuming even more from what you said, then what is it that keeps them interested? What keeps them from giving up?"

That had Sakura quiet again, as she looked down at her glass off water in her lap. "That's a different conversation… For a different day."

Nodding his head, Shikamaru realized that what she did tell him was enough for now. He shouldn't push further. "You haven't told anyone this?"

"I've told a few people. Tsunade when she became Hokage. I told Hinata while ago. My family knows as well, but that's kinda obvious," Sakura replied, looking back at Shikamaru again. "The people that know the full truth are at risk to the people after me going after them. I don't want you to feel like I'm leaving you out, but it's in your best interest to not know the full story as long as you can."

Staying quiet for a long moment, Shikamaru leaned back against the pillows behind him. "I guess I can understand that." He told her, then they lapsed back into silence. His eyes focusing up on the ceiling. The dark room around them was only lit by the moonlight coming in through the window on the door, as the big windows had the curtains over them. _She still didn't tell me that much._ _But, the way she talks… How big of a deal is this?_

 **The next morning**

Stretching his arms up above his head, Shikamaru finally opened his eyes. Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light filtering in the room. He found himself staring up at the ceiling of the living room. His eyes swept down to see Sakura curled up on the other side of the couch still asleep. However, he noticed the reason the room was so bright was because the curtains for the big windows were now open instead of closed.

"So you finally wake up."

Hearing the voice of his mother had Shikamaru looking to his left, and both his mom and dad were sitting on the couch opposite to Sakura and himself. "Morning."

"Good morning," his dad greeted back.

His mom on the other hand had her first question lined up. "What are you two sleeping out here for?"

That had Shikamaru once again looking at Sakura. Her face snuggled against the back of the couch, and she was fast asleep. Baby was curled up in the space between the back of the couch, and Sakura's stomach. His last thought was of him and Sakura sitting their in silence. Not having said anything else after she explained what she did to him last night. Looking back at his parents. "We both ended up waking up at similar times last night, and we came out here. We must have fell asleep while we were talking."

"That's all? Talking?" Yoshino asked almost as soon as he finished talking, having a tone of disbelief in her voice.

Sighing at that, Shikamaru rubbed his temples. "Yes mom. That's all. What did I say about making this whole situation into something it wasn't?"

"Shikamaru, it's not like I don't trust you-"

"That's exactly what it is," Shikamaru interrupted irritably.

"Son, we do trust you," Shikaku said, smirking at how he noticed Shikamaru's face flushing red. "But, you're a teenager-"

Sakura taking a breath in interrupted Shikaku from speaking, as she apparently just woke up. Bringing an arm up so she could rub her face, then she stretched her legs out.

"Hey," Shikamaru's voice was heard. "I'm right here."

"You shouldn't be in my way," Sakura mumbled back. Hearing laughter that wasn't Shikamaru's, her eyes opened, then she looked over to see his parents sitting on the couch opposite to them. His dad having been the one to laugh, while his mother was smiling. "Morning."

"Good morning Sakura," Yoshino greeted back.

Sakura closed her eyes to yawn. Almost as soon as she did, she felt Baby's claws start digging into her arm. "Ow!" She exclaimed when Baby got her good on her shoulder. Flipping over only to fall onto the floor. Proceeding to groan when Shadow and Tank took that opportunity to jump on top of her, and lick her. "Okay, okay. I get it! You all need food. Stop stepping on me boys."

Shikamaru started laughing at the sight of Sakura finally sitting up to observe the scratches on her arm. "I definitely can't see why you like pets so much."

That only had Sakura looking darkly back at him. "Okay, well I definitely can't see why you like to do nothing all day. But, I don't just wake up in the morning, and bitch at you for your likes. So you shouldn't do it to me!"

While that had his parents laughing, Shikamaru just moved to stand up. "I'll feed the dogs, but you can feed Satan."

"Her name is not Satan!" Sakura called after he started walking away. Laughing when she heard Shikamaru say that maybe she, herself, was Satan. Turning her head to the couch where Baby was just rubbing her head up against her shoulder. Moving to scratch Baby behind her ears, she smiled at her. "You're just a sweetheart with a little bit of an attitude when it comes to food."

 **T** **hat evening**

The smell of dinner for that night was in the air, as the evening was in full swing. After a full day of working on things for the party they were all ready for dinner, and ready to relax. Shikaku and Yoshino were over by the stove. Shikamaru was on the couch that faced the kitchen, and was in full relaxing mode. Sakura had just finished getting together all their folders and papers, and had briefly set them down to reach down and pet Baby.

Shikamaru was watching her. "So are you-"

"Oh my god!" Sakura screeched, interrupting Shikamaru as she jumped up onto the couch beside him. That movement alone had Shadow and Tank up barking. Sakura's balance was lost as she stood on the couch, and she ended up leaning slightly back on the cushions of the back of the couch. Her hand steadying herself by resting on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"What?" Shikamaru asked her, his eyes wide at her sudden movement.

"There's a spider," Sakura replied, pointing on the ground by the table where she had been standing.

"A spider," Shikamaru repeated slowly, his eyes on Sakura now. Shadow and Tank finally stopped barking, but were on edge at the sight of Sakura still not down from where she was sort of sitting on the back of the couch. "Really, you have come across much scarier things being a ninja than just a little spide-"

"Big spider! It's not little! It's huge!" Sakura interrupted him, her eyes going to the spider again, she shivered, and closed her eyes. "Kill it."

"It's not that big of a deal-"

"I'm not kidding Shikamaru!" Sakura interrupted him, as she shivered again at the thought of the spider. "Just kill it already!"

Smirking and rolling his eyes, Shikamaru reached forward and rolled up a magazine on the table. Killing the spider easily, he scooped it up with the magazine before going to get rid of it outside. Coming back to the couch he looked at Sakura and smirked. Tossing the magazine back on the table. "The big bad spider is now dead. Happy now?"

Sakura smiled, even though she knew Shikamaru was sort of making fun of her. She moved to accept the hand he held out, and stepped off the couch. "I know you think I'm crazy, but yes. I'm much happier, thank you."

To Shikamaru's surprise next, Sakura had leaned closer to him, and softly kissed his cheek.

"A token of my gratitude," Sakura said, laughing lightly as she reached down to pick the folders off the coffee table. "One less demon spider on this earth." Moving towards the small hall that led to the stairs. "I'm going to put this stuff up now. If anymore spiders show up, I'll be sure to let you know."

Sakura disappeared then. Shikamaru, meanwhile, was frozen to the spot. His hand moving to rest on his cheek where she had kissed him. _Did she just…_

Unknown to Shikamaru, both of his parents were watching him from the kitchen. Both watching their son's smile grow on his face, making smiles grow on their own.

 **After dinner**

"So let me get this straight," Ino started up, having been staring back and forth between Sakura and Shikamaru. "You two are working on this party together, and that's where you've been the last almost three weeks Sakura?"

"Yep," Sakura answered Ino. Her eyes switching from the ceiling to looking over to the opposite side of the couch. Having been slouched back, and not really interested in this conversation. After dinner, Ino and Choji appeared on Shikamaru's porch. Apparently having heard something from Naruto and Sai about Sakura being over here. So now she and Shikamaru were on one couch, and Ino and Choji on another. Ino had been practically interrogating them the last thirty minutes.

"And you're going to keep helping him up until the actual week of the party," Ino continued, before waving her hand quickly in their direction. "Then you're going to have to attend the party as his date."

Shikamaru looked over to Sakura. "I believe that's all stuff we already said right?"

"I'm just confirming," Ino answered before Sakura could. She had Baby over on her lap, and was petting her. "This is so weird."

"I know you're just devastated that he didn't ask you to help him plan the party Ino," Sakura started up, her head propped up by her hand. "But, out of the both of us, I'm apparently less troublesome."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Sakura sticking out her tongue in Ino's direction, then Ino proceeding to throw a pillow at Sakura. It had been just him and Sakura cleaning up after dinner. His parents had to go over to one of his aunt's and uncle's house for some reason he wasn't really listening to. Then of course Ino and Choji show up after only a few minutes of being alone. His eyes focused back in on Sakura. "I don't know. You prove to be more troublesome everyday."

"He's just mad because I'm not telling him all my secrets," Sakura explained to Ino and Choji, before patting Shikamaru's arm. "He's really a sensitive guy under all this laziness and pretending not to care attitude."

Which that had made both Ino and Choji laugh. Shikamaru grumbled under his breath. "Thanks a lot Sakura."

Checking her watch, Sakura moved to stand up. "Well this interrogation has been so much fun and all, but I have to get going."

"Where?" Shikamaru questioned, as he assumed she didn't have anywhere to that night.

"She's probably just meeting Hinata to get wasted," Ino said before Sakura could speak. Rolling her eyes as Sakura had started to pet Shadow and Tank and tell them how much she loved them dramatically.

Hearing what Ino said, Sakura looked away from Shadow and Tank and smiled at the others. "That's not exactly the plan, but if it ends up that way, I won't be disappointed. It's not like anything important is going on tomorrow anyway right Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru nodded back. The front door opened then. In came both of his parents.

Yoshino right away looked to Choji and Ino. "Good evening you two. It's been a while since you've been over."

"Good evening Yoshino," Ino greeted back, light in her eyes, as she loved Shikamaru's mother just as much as she loved her own mother.

"Good ev-ing," was Choji's greeting as he had a mouthful of potato chips.

Shikamaru stopped the greetings short, as he questioned his mom. "Why exactly are we not working tomorrow again?"

His mother looked back to him with her hands on her hips. "Well your cousins and your aunt and uncle are doing fine Shikamaru, thanks for asking."

Shikaku grew a smirk on his face, as he looked to his son. "Your mother and I already told you that some things have come up, and we won't have much time to work."

"Either way, Shikamaru this is the perfect opportunity to go train," Yoshino spoke before her son could. A smile on her face at his obvious displeasure. Her eyes went to Sakura then to see her putting her shoes on. "Where are you off to Sakura?"

"Hinata asked me to come over once she gets done with training today," Sakura replied, finishing putting on her shoes, then giving Shadow and Tank some more attention. "We're not going to really be doing that much of anything."

That had Ino laughing, as she mumbled something under her breath.

That had a dark look appear over Sakura's face, as she looked over to Ino. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," was Ino's reply, as she continued laughing.

Ino's response only seemed to infuriate Sakura more, as she growled lowly. "I will fight you."

"Go drink with- I mean hang out with Hinata," Ino shot back, a big smile on her face as she moved to grab a magazine from the coffee table.

At Sakura's dark look, Shikamaru started chuckling. "I thought you only get angry at me on the level."

"You're not that special," Sakura shot back, finally getting a smile back on her face.

Shikamaru's parents and Choji laughed at that. Yoshino was the first to stop, as Sakura had moved closer towards the door. "Hold on one second Sakura." She moved over to the kitchen, and opened a drawer. Coming back with something in her hand, she held it out to Sakura. It was a key. "Just so you can come in and out whenever you need to. I know you sometimes are out late when you work at the hospital, and it'll make it easier on you."

"Can't we just lock her out?" Shikamaru asked after seeing his mom hand Sakura the key.

Picking up a pillow from the couch, Sakura threw it at Shikamaru, and stuck out her tongue at him. Turning, she looked to his parents. "Thank you. I'll probably end up seeing you tomorrow." She moved to leave then, a smile on her face when she heard Shikamaru's laughter.

 **At Hinata's house**

Sighing heavily, Sakura let her head rest back on the wall behind her. Her eyes on the ceiling of Hinata's closet. That's where she and her best friend were currently at. Hinata was in the process of unpacking a bag she had with her on a mission from the day before the attack on Sakura happened. She had held it off as she had been working with the anbu unit to get any clues at to the attacker's identity. So she was just now getting around to unpacking the bag. They were well through a bottle of wine, and had been getting distracted every other few minutes. Now was one of those times.

"I can't believe your little secret activities with Shikamaru just blew up like that. Everyone knows now."

"It's not that big of a deal," Sakura replied, taking a long drink from her wine glass. "I just didn't want my team to know. But since they know now, there's no point in me really hiding it anymore." Drinking the rest of her glass down, she grabbed the bottle, and sent Hinata an annoyed look. "Of course they wouldn't know at all if _someone_ kept their damn mouth shut."

Rolling her eyes at Sakura's look, Hinata took a long sip of her own wine glass. "Well if someone would act like a grown up instead of a child, and tell them on her own, that wouldn't have been such a big deal."

Sakura was quiet as she refilled her wine glass, then sipped her wine. "I am a grown up. A very grown, grown up. I am such a grown up, I didn't murder the anbu unit that came by today for being so over watchy in my business."

"That's progress Sakura," Hinata replied while she laughed. "I'm proud of you."

Sakura laughed at Hinata laughing. "I want to go out. Let's go out."

"Cupcakes?" Hinata asked.

Sakura nodded seriously before downing her wine. Getting up, and stumbling a little. "Tsunade won't even notice we left the village to get them."

 **The next morning, Saturday, May 23rd**

Opening her eyes, Sakura felt as if the world around her was inside out. Forcing herself to sit up after a moment, she groaned deeply when that didn't help. Shadow and Tank were both alert at her moving, and both of their tails were thumping on the bed. She wasn't aware of how long she had been sitting there like that, but when a glint of sunlight managed to get past her curtains and into her room, it had got her to move out of bed.

Standing up, the world took a turn, then steadied after a moment. _Talk about hangover. I don't even remember coming home last night._ Taking a few steps only proved to be worse, but she kept moving to push past it. Managing to find shorts to put on under her long t-shirt, she started towards the door.

She was greeted with a lot more sunlight when she finally opened her bedroom door. While she flinched away from it, Shadow and Tank bolted from her room, and down the hall. Groaning at their wide awake energy, she trudged out of her room, and down the hall after them. Not at all surprised that Shadow was waiting for her at the end of the hall instead of completely leaving her. Managing a smile as he trotted over to walk beside her.

Getting to the end of the hall, she was greeted by a lot more light, and she had to close her eyes and pause in the living room. The world feeling like it was inside out again.

"The princess has awakened."

The inside out world suddenly froze when familiar voice hit her ears. Her eyes snapped wide open, as her heart started racing. "Holy crap."

* * *

 **A/N: There you go everyone. I wrote most of this chapter in the middle of the night, as the power was out and writing this didn't require internet. Why I was up you ask? Because my house was about as hot as hell. I tried sleeping, but after three hours of still no sign of power, I got up. Mind you, it's been about five hours now, and still no power. I'll be putting the chapter up when I do have power eventually. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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	8. Meet My Messy Family

_Review:_

 _Getting to the end of the hall, she was greeted by a lot more light, and she had to close her eyes and pause in the living room. The world feeling like it was inside out again._

" _The princess has awakened."_

 _The inside out world suddenly froze when familiar voice hit her ears. Her eyes snapped wide open, as her heart started racing. "Holy crap."_

* * *

 **Continued on**

A moment of silence followed Sakura's one-worded statement. The entire room focused in as the two pairs of emerald eyes focused in on one another. Finally a mirrored grin stretched across their faces, and Sakura started forward towards him. Throwing her arms around him, as she laughed. "You're home."

Wrapping his arms around her, the guy, Sora, picked her up and spun her around.

"Hey! Put me down Sora!"

After Sakura's exclamation, Sora did set her down, a big grin on his face. "Aw, you remember my name? Even when your hungover."

Sakura's eyes went wide at that. "Sora shut up!"

Shikamaru's laughter was the next thing that was heard. He was sitting on the couch across from his parents, his arms resting on the back of the couch. "You act like it's a big secret," he started, a smirk on his face. "You forget that your room is next to mine, and I heard you coming home last night. I have to say, it was quality entertainment to hear you cursing when you were trying to get to bed. It sounded like you were having a difficult time."

Staring darkly back at Shikamaru, Sakura crossed her arms. "Shut up."

That had Sora laughing. Enough to where he had to take a moment to catch his breath afterward. Resting a hand on Sakura's shoulder, he grinned, as he motioned to Shikamaru with the other hand. "I like this guy."

Rolling her eyes at that, Sakura laughed sarcastically. "Oh this is just what I needed. Why didn't you just go visit our parents instead?"

"Because I don't want to miss out on torturing my baby sister," Sora shot back, his grin growing on his face. "Besides, you were just happy that I was here."

"That lasted all of fifteen seconds," Sakura replied, still frowning, as her eyes caught a glimpse of the sunlight filtering in from the window next to the fireplace. Squinting at the brightness, she sighed.

Sora grinned at that, and patted her shoulder. "Rough night?"

"Rough life," Sakura shot back, as she slapped his hand off her shoulder. Her eyes went to Shikamaru's parents, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Hinata and I just accidentally had more to drink than we plan."

That had Yoshino laughing and shaking her head. "Oh Sakura, it's not that big of a deal. I was your age once. My girlfriends and I weren't exactly going out to drink tea every night."

Shikamaru spoke up first. "So if I went out and did that-"

"You wouldn't ever go out again. Ever." Yoshino interrupted, making her husband laugh.

Sora was nodding his head, as he looked to Shikamaru. "If our mom was here right now, and found out what she was up to, Sakura would be getting lectured until the end of the century." Grinning as his sister had stopped paying attention, he reached over and slapped his hands together in front of her face.

"Stop it!" Sakura exclaimed at him after having jumped at the loud sound and the surprise of having his hands suddenly in front of her face.

Sora just started laughing, and moved closer to Sakura. Reaching a hand up to ruffle her hair. "I've missed you brat."

Growling at his words, Sakura slapped his hand away from her head. Her eyes narrowed at him.

A knock sound was heard on the front door, then it was heard opening. "Is Sora bothering you Sakura?"

Sakura's smile appeared back on her face, as she held her arms up. "Oh thank god your here Amaya."

The woman, Amaya, returned Sakura's hug, as she laughed. "I wouldn't want you to kill my boyfriend so I thought I'd come by. But mostly, I missed you."

"Gee thanks," Sora said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at his sister and his girlfriend. Both of which were ignoring him now and chatting away.

Tank barking interrupted the conversation, as he moved over towards the door whining a bit.

"I forgot I haven't let you out yet," Sakura started towards the door, raising an eyebrow when Sora stopped her.

"I'll take care of this," he said, moving towards the door, as he reached down to pet Tank, then Shadow who walked over as well. "Their uncle Sora clearly cares about them more than their mom does, as I'll be the one letting them outside."

Grumbling at Sora's words, Sakura crossed her arms. "They love me more."

"That's what you like to tell yourself," Sora countered, laughing as he walked outside with Shadow and Tank.

It was quiet for a moment, then Amara started laughing. "Oh Sakura, you let him get to you so easily."

"No I'm all good now," Sakura replied, as she lost the irritated expression.

"That's not like you-"

"I've decided when he comes back inside, I'm going to punch him in the face," Sakura interrupted, turning away to go grab coffee from the kitchen.

Sighing heavily, Amaya shook her head. "Okay, that's more like you."

Yoshino moved to stand up from the couch, motioning for her son to stop laughing, as she focused on Amaya. "I think it's about time I get breakfast started. Would you like to stay and eat with us?"

Amaya nodded a smile on her face. "That would be great thanks."

A half hour later, they were all seated at the dining room table. Yoshino's eyes was focused on Sora and Amaya. "So how long have you two been dating?"

"For about four years now," Amaya replied, sipping at her coffee, then returning it to it's spot on the table. "We were sixteen- well I was, he had just turned seventeen. Of course it could have been earlier, but he took forever to ask."

"In my defense, I wanted to ask you out earlier. There was just an obstacle in my way," Sora replied, his eyes focusing in on Sakura.

The pink haired woman had been in the process of biting into a piece of toast, and hadn't been paying too much attention to her brother. Chewing the food in her mouth, she took a sip of coffee, then shrugged. "What? I just thought she deserved better."

That had Amaya and the Nara's laughing. Sora, on the other hand, was frowning. "I still don't understand how you said that. I'm your brother."

"Sora, she was fourteen when all this happened. I know for a fact that all you two did was argue and fight with each other on a daily basis," Amaya pointed out, laughing lightly. "She was just doing what siblings do."

"Well I knew she was just doing it to make my life harder, but she was more concerned with you that me," Sora replied.

Sakura laughed and shook her head at her brother. "Or maybe, just maybe, I was just testing you to make sure that you really wanted to do it. For your well-being."

Sora looked slightly taken aback at that. "I never thought about that."

Laughing back at Sora, Sakura grabbed her coffee mug. "Nah, I just did it because I was making sure that Amaya had enough time to run if she wanted. I'm not _that_ nice to you."

That had them all laughing, even Sora had to join in. When the laughter died down, Amaya went back to speaking. "Anyway, we've known each other for quite a long time. Which you can probably tell as to why I know this family so well. We met when we were 6 in the academy. We were on the same genin team. So we were friends for a long while before we got in a relationship."

"What are you two doing now?" Yoshino asked.

"Mom-"

"Shikamaru, I'm just making conversation, and you're just going to have to put up with it," Yoshino interrupted her son, before looking back at Amara and Sora. "My son thinks asking questions is rude."

"Oh it's not rude at all," Amaya replied, waving her hand. "I think it's a mean for more interesting conversation."

"That's basically what I said," Sakura agreed with Amaya, then proceeded to stick her tongue out at Shikamaru. Grinning when that made his dad laugh.

Yoshino focused back on Amaya again. "I just ask because we've known Sakura for a few weeks now, and we haven't see you around that much."

"I'll take this one," Sora spoke to Amaya before she could say anything. His eyes on Yoshino now. "Amaya still does close work with our team. She's been on a couple missions these past few weeks. But, I'm sure she and Sakura have found time to hang out between her missions."

"Yeah, and even though she won't admit it, it was so much more fun because you weren't there," Sakura said, laughing at Sora's frown. "We just hung out the weekend before last. I just didn't bring it up."

"Anyway," Sora continued on, his eyes back on the Nara's. "As for me, I work in the anbu. But I can't really specify what I do for them. I've been-"

"Gone for like two years," Sakura interrupted, her eyes narrowed on her brother.

"No, I've been gone for two months," Sora corrected Sakura, rolling his eyes. "My missions lately have been more extensive, and it means more time gone. As much as Sakura likes to pretend to hate me, she actually likes it when I come home."

"For like five seconds, then you ruin it by speaking to me," Sakura hurried to say the first part, as it was clear that to her, admitting she missed her brother was a terrible thing.

That had them all laughing. Shikamaru's focus went to Sakura. "Well I thought I already knew about what you like to call your 'messy family'. But you surprise me with having an older brother."

"You already knew about Kankuro," Sakura replied, before looking to Sora, and dramatically gasping. "Oh, you meant this one. I guess I claim him as an older brother. But I like Kankuro more."

"Thanks a lot Sakura," Sora replied back, a grin growing on his face. "Well I like Temari more than I like you."

"I like everyone on this planet more than I like you-"

"Okay," Amaya interrupted Sakura, her eyes going to Sora. "Can you not start an argument with her?"

"She started it," Sora replied back, before looking to Sakura. "How can you like Kankuro more than me?"

"I like Garra more than you too," Sakura countered, then she grew a thoughtful look on her face. "Actually out of all four of my siblings, you're the last on the list."

Sora frowned at her. "We're the only two that are blood related."

"So what?" Sakura shrugged then. "I've known them about the same amount of time I've known you… Okay, so I was four when they came into our lives. But after almost fourteen years, I feel like they are just as much my siblings as you are. More, since I see them more than you."

"Is that what this is about? Me being gone all the time?"

"Maybe..."

"Sakura-"

"Okay," Amaya interrupted Sora, a look of irritation on her face as she looked between Sakura and Sora. "I love you both. But, I swear if you two don't drop this conversation, this breakfast is going to come to a very quick end for the both of you."

Here Sakura and Sora were quiet, before Sakura looked to Sora. "You heard that Sora. Your girlfriend told you to shut your mouth."

"She told you too..." Sora mumbled as he trailed off.

Shikaku cleared his throat here. "Well breakfast was delicious Yoshino. I think it's time we finish up in here."

That seemed to make them all start to gather their breakfast dishes. Sakura's eyes focusing on Shikamaru. "Anyway, you still have a bit more to go before you have the idea of my family. Immediate family wise you're almost there. But, there's still a hell of a lot more mess outside the family house."

"What do you mean by almost there? You just said that you had four siblings, and I've been made aware of all them as of this morning," Shikamaru said, an eyebrow raised in Sakura's direction.

Sakura's eyes slid over to Amaya, then the two started laughing. Amaya speaking up. "You know, you are a brave soul for managing to keep up with their family tree so far. But, you probably don't want to push it. It's better to just let it happen over time."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well I mean with how often I'm being told that it's complicated, it's more interesting to me." His eyes went to Sakura then. "I'm going to find out eventually."

"Guess you'll have to stick around me long enough then," Sakura shot back, a smile on her face. Moving to leave the dining room to go put her dishes away.

"I guess I will," was Shikamaru's immediate reply, a smile on his own face.

It was quiet after that, as Shikamaru walked from the room after Sakura. Their voices were heard faintly. On to a new topic of who was going to run down Shadow and Tank's energy.

Sora paused in stacking up his and Amaya's dishes from breakfast. Crossing his arms, as he hummed. His eyes on the archway out of the dining room. Listening to the faint voices.

Amaya noted the look on his face. "You've got a look on your face."

"It's nothing."

"Uh huh," Amaya started, propping a hand on her hip. "I know you. I've known you for twelve, almost thirteen years now."

When that didn't seem to catch Sora's attention away from his focus on the archway of the dining room, Shikaku spoke up. "Sora seems to have picked up on what my wife and I have been picking up on over the past few weeks."

Amaya was quiet, then she nodded. "So it wasn't just me then?"

"No, it's not the hard to pick up on," Sora replied slowly, a slight frown on his face. "I'm not sure how I feel about it either."

That had Amaya laughing, as she stroked the top of Sora's hair. "Oh that's adorable. You being the protective older brother and all."

"Those two are genius smart," Shikaku started, a smirk on his face. "But they are about as dense as they can possibly be as to what's going on between them."

"I agree," Yoshino said, with a nod. "Everyone seems to see it except for them."

Sora started laughing this time, his frown gone. "So whenever they do finally figure it out, I'll be able to make fun of how stupid she's being now."

"Sora," Amaya sighed, shaking her head at him laughing.

 **An hour later**

They were out on the front porch as Sakura and Shikamaru had spent that time running around with the dogs. Shikamaru's parents continuing to get to know Sora and Amaya from the porch. Having finally taken a break, Sakura slipped inside to go grab a water bottle. Grabbing it, she paused as she thought about the morning she had. Waking up with a hangover wasn't that great, but Sora being there turned it around. _Sure, I would die if he ever found out I actually missed him. But, I have. I have missed him._

After that thought, her next thought was Shikamaru. A smile stretched across her face. Having enjoyed the past hour of running around, and all the joking they've done just as much. Going back to the refrigerator, she grabbed another water bottle, then she turned to the door.

Stepping outside, her eyes went to Shikamaru and his parents who were on the porch. "Here, I got this for you."

Shikamaru looked over to see her holding out a water bottle. Accepting it he nodded once, as he pointed out to the front of the porch. "Thanks. I believe you have some guests."

"I know Sora and Amaya are here Shikamaru-" Breaking off, Sakura's eyes widened at the sight. A few feet from the stairs was Sora, who was currently hugging and greeting their parents. Amaya hugging their mother as well.

"Oh Sora," their mother was saying, as she hugged her son again. "I've missed you so much. It's so wonderful that you're finally off your mission."

"I've missed you too mom. Dad." Sora replied, nodding in his dad's direction.

Sakura's mother slowly seemed to look towards Sakura then, her smile dropping straight off her face. "As for you, you are in so much trouble."

Scowling, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, and turned her head away. "Oh joy."

A few minutes later they were all inside the living room. Shikaku and Sakura's dad were seated at the small table in the room, starting up a game of shogi. Shikamaru and his mother were on one couch, and Sora and Amaya on another. Sakura seated on the floor by the coffee table, and her mother pacing in front of the unlit fireplace.

"Why did I only get a message about you getting attacked yesterday? From Tsunade no less, not even my own daughter! When it happened five days ago!" Sakura's mother questioned her daughter. Any traces of her happy mood at seeing her son was long gone, and a frown on her face.

"Well," Sakura started, sighing heavily at her mom's pacing. "I mean it wasn't that big of a deal this time. I was fine for the most part. Besides, you should have seen when they attacked me on my mission a few weeks back-"

"Wait what?!" Sakura's mother interrupted sharply.

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh… I forgot I didn't tell you about that either."

"You have got to tell us about these things Sakura," Sakura's mother, as she stopped her pacing to look at her daughter. Her eyes widening as she noticed her daughter was staring up at the ceiling, not looking as if she was paying attention. "Sakura, are you listening to me?!"

"Something about talking more right?" Sakura countered, not looking at her mother, as she sighed.

Sakura's lack of paying attention seemed to infuriate her mother more. She looked to her husband. "Akio talk to her."

Akio took in a deep breath, then sighed. Not looking away from the shogi board in front of him. "Midori, I don't believe there is much I can add here. She knows to tell us if it happens again."

"Oh please," Midori replied, rolling her eyes. "This is not the first time we're having this conversation about her not telling us stuff like this."

"Oh this is a conversation?" Sakura questioned, finally looking away from the ceiling. "I thought it was a lecture."

"Sakura," Midori hissed back at her daughter. "You better watch your mouth."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura sighed heavily. "I'm not the one lecturing here."

"That's it! I have had it with your damn attitude-"

"Midori," Akio interrupted his wife, finally looking away from the shogi board, his eyes went to the back of his daughter's head. "Sakura."

Turning her head back to look at her dad, Sakura held a smile on her face, and a sparkle in her eye. "Yes daddy?"

"Oh geez." Sora mumbled with an eye roll at his sister's attitude change.

"Your mother and I would appreciate you starting to communicate more when this kind of stuff happens," Akio started, smiling back at his daughter. "We just want to make sure you are okay. So try to keep that in mind if this happens again, alright?"

Sakura nodded her head once. "Will do."

"Oh of course," Midori started, shaking her head. "You argue with me when I suggest that, but as soon as your father asks you agree."

Sakura turned her head back to look at her mom and shrugged. "He asked nicely."

"When I asked nicely, and all you gave me was a bad attitude," Midori shot back, then she rested a hand on her forehead. "I cannot stand it when you do that Sakura, it drives me crazy. You can't just listen to one of your parents and not the other."

Over on the couch, Sora was cracking up laughing. Trying to hide it, but not doing a good job of it.

"Stop laughing, you're going to be the one in trouble if your mom thinks you're laughing at her," Amaya said, shaking her head at her boyfriend. Noticing that both Shikamaru's mother and Shikamaru were able to hear what Sora was saying, she was surprised Midori didn't. "I'm serious Sora."

"i know, but this is quality entertainment." Sora replied back whispering, as he went off laughing again.

The little conversation on the couch wasn't really noticed by Midori, and while Sakura noticed it her eyes were on her mother. "Mom, I don't even understand why you are mad. I agreed to communicate more… with your husband."

Sakura's words only infuriated Midori more, as she glared at her daughter. "With the both of us. Communicate more with the _both_ of us."

Laughing at her mom's words, Sakura shrugged. "Yeah, well as far as I can see, you and I communicating isn't exactly all that fun."

"It's not about being fun! It is about you talking to us when you are in trouble!" Her mother snapped back before throwing her hands up at Sakura's laughter. "You are driving me crazy." With that said, she turned and walked out onto the front porch to let off a little steam.

Sakura waited until she heard the front door close again, then she moved. Slipping off one of her shoes, she chucked it at Sora. Successfully hitting him on his chest. A glare in his eyes. "Shut up! I heard what you said!"

A fire lit in Sora's eyes, as he grabbed the shoe that had fell onto his lap. Taking his turn to throw it at her. "Don't throw stuff at me."

Although the shoe barely grazed her shoulder, Sakura slapped a hand on her arm, and had an over-dramatic look of shock on her face. "Ow!"

Hearing his daughter's exclamation had Akio speaking up. "Sora, don't throw things at your sister."

Sora's eyes went wide. "Dad, she threw it at me first!"

Akio hummed as he made his next move on the shogi board. "You're older. You should know better."

"By like three years!" Sora exclaimed, in complete disbelief at his dad's taking Sakura's side. His words didn't seem to shake his dad at all, as his focus was back on the shogi board. He glared in Sakura's direction. "You are such a brat. All you have to do is bat your eyelashes and you get away with everything."

Sakura's only response was sticking out her tongue, and laughing as she got up.

 **A couple hours later**

Slouching down on the couch next to Shikamaru, Sakura held an irritated frown on her face. Sora, Amaya, and her parents were chatting away about Sora's recent adventure. Not able to really talk about his mission, but the places he got to visit.

This was amusing to Shikamaru. "You know, you could actually try to enjoy the fact that your brother is home."

"He ruined that for me when he told me he was staying," Sakura replied back, crossing her arms over her chest. However, a smile soon replaced her frown, as that had Shikamaru laughing.

There was a knock on the front door then. Gathering all eyes in the room. The big glass windows made it completely obvious as to who it was. The sand siblings and another dark haired man.

"My babies," Midori started, already standing up, as Yoshino had opened the door for them. She moved forward, and hugged them.

Akio got up as well. Hugging Temari and shaking hands with Garra, Kankuro, and the dark haired man.

Sora was grinning as he was greeted by his other siblings as well. "Long time no see."

"Well that's entirely your fault," Temari shot back, grinning as she hugged Sora. "But, since you finally decided to grace the Leaf with your presence, we thought we'd come by to see you too."

That had Sakura's eyes lighting with fire. "Am I the only one that didn't know he was coming?!"

Sakura's loud exclamation interrupted the chatter of her family mingling, and had all their eyes on her. She just scowled in annoyance. "Why am I the last to know?"

"Because we all decided that we don't tell you things anymore," Kankuro replied, a grin on his face.

"Like you don't tell us anything anymore," Midori added. That had all her kids laughing apart from Sakura.

"Besides, you don't even like me anyways," Sora told his sister, grinning at her. "Why do you even care?"

That took Sakura aback, but she tried to hide it on her face. "I don't. It's just annoying to be surprised."

"Well when I first got here this morning, you were happy to see me."

"How long did that last?" Temari asked after Sora spoke.

"About five seconds I bet," Kankuro added.

"That's right," Sakura said, laughing with the rest of her siblings.

Shikaku's focus was on Garra. "How are you able to be here in the village? I'm sure you are really busy."

Garra nodded once. "Yeah I've been busy. But, sometimes even I need to take time off. Especially to see my family."

Shikaku smirks here. "I'm sure the Hokage would love to take time off, but she doesn't ever have the time."

"Because she doesn't do her job in the first place," Sakura spoke up, putting herself in the middle of the conversation. "She takes time off everyday when she shouldn't be. Leading up to the day before all the deadlines, where she proceeds to interrupt my day so I can do all of her work for her. That's why it seems like she's always busy."

That had them all laughing. Shikamaru's eyes on Sakura. "I'm surprised she still keeps you around. She spends more time yelling at you than anything."

"Remember how I just said that I do all of her work for her? It balances out," Sakura replied, then focused on Garra. "You always talk about work whenever we hangout. You used to not be so boring. Let's go back to those times."

Garra grew a smirk on his face. "Not all of us can get away with acting like a five-year-old like you can Sakura."

That had the other siblings laughing, Sakura smirked back at Garra. "One, that just means that I know how to have fun, and proves that you don't. Two, that's really no t very nice of you to say."

Garra raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. Staring at Sakura in silence.

Putting a grin back onto her face, Sakura laughed a little. "I knew you my favorite brother still lives inside you."

"Hey!" Sora and Kankuro chorused in protest.

While everyone started laughing again, Shikamaru's eyes went to the mystery dark haired man that had walked in with the sand siblings. He had been greeted by Sakura's parents. Appearing to be close with them. Humming, he leaned over to whisper to Sakura. "Who is-"

"Oh how rude of me," Sakura interrupted Shikamaru, as her eyes had gone to the mystery guy then. A big smile on her face, as she addressed Temari next. "Look Temari, our boyfriend is here too!"

That loud exclamation had everything go quiet, as the dark haired guy rolled his eyes. Temari was laughing, and shaking her head. "Sakura I thought we discussed this the last time I was over here-"

"What part of "I don't want you to call me that" is lost in translation?" Temari's boyfriend interrupted her to speak to Sakura.

"What part of "I really don't give a damn what you want" is lost in translation?" Sakura countered, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Watch your mouth," Midori told her daughter, a frown on her face.

That seemed to crack Temari's boyfriend up, as he shook his head. "I don't know why I even try with you anymore."

"I don't know why you even try with me anymore either," Sakura agreed, grinning at him. "I think we should settle this the usual way."

"No thanks. I don't want to die today," Temari's boyfriend replied back, before stepping closer to Shikamaru and his parents. "I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Daymon, Temari's boyfriend." Daymon shook both Shikaku's and Shikamaru's hands, and nodded with a smile in Yoshino's direction as she was a bit farther away.

Yoshino was all smiles. "We heard about you when Temari visited last weekend."

Daymon let his eyes go back to Temari, an eyebrow raised.

Temari waved a hand in his direction. "Relax. I made sure Sakura didn't give them the impression that you're crazy."

Although that had Sakura and Temari laughing, Daymon rolled his eyes. "I don't trust that one bit."

 **A few hours later, that evening**

Settling around the fire pit in the backyard, they were all planning to enjoy a bonfire. The Summer night air was a lot cooler than usual, so they thought they'd get away with a bonfire. Neji and Hinata were over now, as they had grown close to Sakura's parents after the years of friendship they had with her.

Temari, Kankuro, Hinata, and Sakura were in mid-plan of an adventure to go on the next night when Midori had entered their conversation. "I'm not just going to allow you to go out and getting into trouble."

"We're not," Kankuro replied, shrugging his shoulders. "We're just planning to go out and enjoy a nice evening, celebrating the fact that we're all together again."

That had Midori laughing shortly, then proceeding to look serious. "Yeah like I said, I don't want you four going out and then getting into any trouble. You've already been getting in enough trouble lately."

It was clear to everyone that the last statement was meant solely for Sakura, no one really said anything. Kankuro quick to continue the conversation on. "We're bringing Temari and Hinata with us."

"So it won't be that much fun." Sakura added, a grin on her face at both Hinata and Temari's looks.

"Gee, thanks a lot," Temari replied, rolling her eyes.

Hinata scoffed, as she crossed her arms. "Last time I ever try going anywhere with you. You're a danger magnet, so I don't know what I've been thinking in the first place."

Grinning back at Hinata, Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "You know me, attraction for all things dangerous. Living my life fully on the edge at all hours of the day."

While that had Sakura laughing, her mother wasn't too happy about that. "Sakura it's really not funny."

"Mom," Sakura started in reply, groaning at her mother's serious look.

Midori's eyes focused in on her daughter. "I don't want to hear you joking about that. It's serious."

"Well it's better than living my life terrified to leave my house," Sakura shot back, not longer smiling. Irritated at her mom making such a big deal about a simple joke. "It's not like it's news that I'm basically like a walking bad omen."

That had her siblings laughing, but that was cut short when Midori's glare went their way. Looking back at her youngest daughter, she frowned deeply. "You maybe able to walk around treating this whole thing as a joke Sakura, but I don't find it funny in the slightest. It is serious!"

"Well maybe you should stop being so damn serious-"

"Do not speak to me that way," Midori interrupted her daughter, before she she stood up. "I've had enough of your attitude. For once I would love to enjoy having Sora home without having to come here, and argue with you over your behavior and your safety."

"I wasn't the one to bring this up," Sakura replied, her frown deepening on her face. "It was just to joke."

"Do you think I find the fact that you are in danger funny?" Midori shot back, that grew a silence over the backyard. The only sound heard was the katydid bugs.

"You don't find anything funny!" Sakura countered with annoyance.

Instead of replying, Midori shook her head, she took in a deep breath, and moved to go inside.

It wasn't until after his wife left inside that Akio spoke to Sakura. "You need to give your mother a break."

"I was just joking," Sakura replied, still frowning. "She was the one who turned it into what just happened. It was just a freaking joke."

"I know that," Akio said, a small smile on his face. "But I don't think your mother finds it funny to joke about what's been going on with you."

Sakura was quiet for a long moment, then she stood up. "If this day is supposed to be all about Sora, then she needs to stop talking about me then. I already know that I screwed up about not telling her what happened. But, I only held back on saying anything because she already has enough to worry about when Sora's actually on these missions. I just figured for once in my life she wouldn't have to put her entire life on pause just to pay attention on worrying about me. Again." Walking past the fire pit, she took across the grassy backyard, and up the stairs into the sun room. The last sound from her was the screen door shutting a little harsher than normal.

Sighing at his daughter clearly upset about this whole thing, Akio moved to stand up. However, Sora beat him to it. "I've got this dad."

Walking inside, Sora had a bit of trouble trying to figure out where Sakura had gone. He couldn't find his mother either, but his best guess was that she was out on the front porch admiring the garden in the front yard. Shadow's entrance from the sun room was heard, and he trotted through the living room and down the hall the bedrooms were off of. Following the german shepherd, Sora found himself being led into the first bedroom on the right.

Sure enough there was his pink haired sister. Stretched across the bed in the room on her stomach. Facing away from him. Because Shadow had entered the room before him, he knew that his sister hadn't recognized he had walked in the room as well. Leaning against the door frame, he cleared his throat. "You spoil that dog."

Sakura had just barely turned her head to look back at her brother. A frown on her face, as she had allowed Shadow to snuggle under one of her arms to be close to her. Instead of replying to her brother, she turned her head back to facing the pillows on the bed. Focusing on where Baby was perched on the back of one of the pillows.

"You know," Sora started after realizing that Sakura wasn't going to reply. He moved forward into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm surprised that you even acknowledged the idea that today was going to be more focus on me than you."

"Yeah well sometimes being the center of attention gets annoying." Was Sakura's reply, keeping her eyes forward, but had felt that Sora was now sitting on the bed.

That had Sora gasping dramatically. "You? You Sakura Haruno, don't like being the center of attention? Is this real life?"

A small smile edged its way onto Sakura's face. Even the sound of a laugh followed the smile. "As real as it gets."

Sora laughed lightly, then his face grew back to serious. "To be honest, I don't really like it that much either. Mostly because I'm used to the idea of you being the center of attention in every family event. That takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders. But, I also don't like everyone focusing on me in general. The expectation of greatness is always around me because I'm in the top ranks of the anbu blackops."

"Well at least when everyone is looking at you with high expectations," Sakura offered him, sighing heavily as she reached over to pet Baby. "When they look at me, they expect me to be in some kind of trouble."

"That's not true," Sora disagreed with his sister completely. "You surpassed your master in under four years. You are the top medical ninja across all the nations. From what I hear from other anbu units, you get requested to work with them all the time. Plus multiple requests to join the anbu, but you always say-"

"That I didn't want to be another you," Sakura interrupted, laughing once again. "No offense."

"None taken," Sora said, taking in a breath as he continued. "My point is that everyone knows of your abilities and you are highly respected. Your family and closest friends just see a side of you that most others don't see. But you've got to remember that everyone has darker times. Sure your levels are a bit more extreme than others, but it still doesn't change the fact that you're not alone. I think you just dwell so much in the bad, that you forget all the amazing stuff you've accomplished."

That clearly brought a smile to Sakura's face. She finally turned over on the bed so she was laying down on her back. Able to see Sora's face. Finally she coughed to try to hide the growing smile. "You're being overly sentimental."

Sora laughed this time, shaking his head at her. "There's the brat I grew up with." His words had them both laughing, and it wasn't until he stopped laughing that a serious look went back on his face. "If you tell anyone that I said any of that, I'll kill you."

Sakura grinned back at her brother. "If you tell anyone about this conversation in general, I'll kill you." After she spoke, they broke off into laughter again. The tense air having lightened up.

A few minutes later they were on their way back to the sun room to get to the backyard. Having both had enough of the sappy conversation. But when they made it to the sun room, their mother had them both pausing at the backdoor. She had just walked through the screen door that separated the sun room from the stairs that led to the backyard. Her eyes focusing in on Sakura.

Clearing his throat after a moment, Sora moved to walk around their mother. "I'm going to just go back to the others."

It was quiet, as Sora left. Sakura stared at her mother for a long moment, then moved over to one of the couches in the sun room. Her mother not far away, as she sat on the opposite side of the couch. The silence around them was only interrupted with the murmur of conversation from the bonfire in the backyard, and the sound of the katydid bugs.

"I know this isn't easy for you Sakura," Midori started, her expression much softer than the one full of anger she held with her daughter earlier. "Living the life you have isn't easy. It wasn't your choice as to who your blood is-"

"You know I love you and dad," Sakura intercepted her mom's words hurriedly. "No matter what."

"I know, but still," Midori said, collapsing both her hands together over her lap. "Many times over the course of raising you, I could tell you resented the fact that your blood has caused so many problems for you. The attacks over the past few weeks as an example."

It was quiet for a long moment, finally Sakura gave into the thoughts that had stirred up with all this honesty talk she had been having. Her eyes falling down to her lap. "I just don't want to bother you again with this. You've had to deal with what's happening with me for a long time. You finally got away from it the past couple years, and I really have been trying not to bother you.

"Oh honey, we weren't trying to get away." Midori replied, hearing the emotion in her daughter's voice.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to have to interrupt yours and dad's life again just to have to worry about me," Sakura said, sniffling a little. "I figured I have burdened you enough, I'm old enough to be able to do it alone."

"You are not a burden Sakura," Midori told her daughter, scooting closer to her daughter to wrap her in her arms. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again. I love you. Your father loves you."

"Even after everything I've put you through?" Sakura questioned, resting her chin on her mom's shoulder, sniffling again. A few tears had escaped, but she felt relief at her mom's comfort.

"You drive me crazy time to time, but I love you," Midori replied, finding a little amusement with that. "We are there for you. We want to be there for you. We told you before we moved that we are only a message away. The second you need us, we will be there. Even if you feel like you don't need us, and just want to see anyway, we will be there for you."

Like usual when she had such a close talk with her mom, Sakura felt the weight of the world lifting off her shoulders. Making her enjoy her mom's embrace more.

 **By the fire pit**

It was quiet around them all. Having watched what was going on in the sun room between Sakura and her mother. Temari finally spoke up. "Well I'm glad their finally speaking calmly."

"Yeah, the deathly air around them hasn't been all that pleasant," Kankuro agreed with his sister. "They always make family gathering's interesting with how much they disagree with each other."

"I think they're more alike than anything," Garra spoke up, shrugging his shoulders. "It's probably why they always seem to not get along."

Akio nodded in agreement with Garra. "That's what I think as well."

"I'm just glad her mother's finally here to talk to her," Hinata said, having noticed Sakura and her mother hugging now. "She's needed it more than she would ever admit." Her eyes focused in on Shikamaru, who she was sitting near since Sakura's seat was empty between them. "She's stubborn. Which is mostly why she's been so stand-off-ish about what's been going on with her."

"Stubborn or not, if she doesn't start being more honest, I'm going to lose it." Shikamaru replied.

Sora laughed at Shikamaru's words. "You've got another thing coming if you think it'll be as easy as having our mother come by to talk to her," he started, moving to slap a hand to Shikamaru's shoulder. "My sister is like a locked safe. But even if you have the combination to get into her mind, she will not open up unless she feels like it."

Daymon laughed from where he was leaning back in his chair, his arm wrapped around Temari's shoulders. "Which will probably never happen anyways." Which had them all laughing.

 **Back inside, fifteen minutes later**

Having finished talking to her mom, Sakura went inside the house to get stuff for smores. Her mom having gone back out to the bonfire. Sakura was only in the kitchen for barely a minute when she heard footsteps coming from the sun room.

"Need some help?"

Smiling at the sound of Shikamaru's voice, Sakura shrugged. "I guess."

It was quiet as they got the smores stuff out of the pantry. Sakura having stopped to sit on the bar stool as she watched Shikamaru grabbing the roasting sticks from a higher up cabinet.

"Are you happy to finally spend time with your family?" Shikamaru asked after having grabbed the sticks. Turning to walk closer to the bar side of the kitchen cabinets. Stopping near her.

"Yeah it's nice," Sakura replied, smiling as she propped her chin on her hand. Her eyes meeting his, her smile widening at the sight of his smile.

"Of course, not that I know for sure that this is your whole family since you won't actually tell me the full story."

Laughing, Sakura leaned closer to Shikamaru. "I have four siblings and two parents. That's all."

Studying Sakura for a long moment. Taking in how close they were, he smiled more. "Alright. I believe you."

Laughing once again, Sakura rested her elbow back on the bar, and her chin on her hand. Remaining the close distance to Shikamaru. "It's weird. Having us all together again. The last time we were all able to be together was probably New Years. That was five months ago… It feels nice."

"I'm glad you are getting to see them. You've been pretty stressed lately," Shikamaru said, before smirking. "And no, that wasn't me trying to get you to talk more about the recent events that's been happening."

"Sure it wasn't," Sakura laughed, her smile settling back onto her face. "I'm glad you got to meet them too. Maybe it can explain to you why I'm the crazy human that I am."

Chuckling at her phrasing that the way she did, Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like you're a special kind of crazy even with the factor of your family put in."

Laughing along with Shikamaru, Sakura smiled when their laughter died down. They remained silent as they stared at one another smiling.

"Come on already!" Sora's loud exclamation had Shikamaru stepping a couple feet back from Sakura, as Sora entered the living room. Eyes on them. "The rest of actually want to make some smores."

Shikamaru grabbed the roasting sticks and the smore stuff. "See you out there." Was all he said before crossing the living room to the sun room.

Sora remained standing nearby Sakura, his arms crossed over his chest, as he stared at her.

"What are you staring at?"Sakura questioned irritably after another moment.

"You two..."

Knowing exactly what Sora was getting at, Sakura laughed and shook her head. "No Sora, we're just friends. That's it."

Sora whistled lowly at her response. "I don't believe that."

"Yeah, well I do, and so does he. We've spent almost everyday these past three weeks together. We've just gotten really close that's all," Sakura said, frowning at Sora's raised eyebrow. "I'm glad we are friends though. I never realized that we have stuff in common. It'll be nice to have a friend with me whenever Ino drags me out with her team to go shopping or what not."

Shaking his head and laughing at his sister trying to convince him, Sora rested a hand on her shoulder. "That's fine if you want to think that you two are just friends. But Sakura, I've got news for you. That guy doesn't want to be just your friend. Just like I don't think you want to be just his friend."

"You don't know anything. You just met him today."

"But I've known you your entire life," Sora pointed out, noticing how she seemed a bit flustered at his words. "And I was able to tell from the moment that you two were in the same room together this morning that you're both not just friends, even if you are acting like you are."

Sakura grew an irritated look on her face, as she smacked Sora's hand off her shoulder. "Who do you think you are? Trying to tell me about my life?"

Watching as Sakura jumped off the bar stool to go outside, Sora chuckled. Shaking his head, his smile growing.

Meanwhile, Sakura paused once she was in the sun room. Feeling her own smile widen as she thought of her brother's observation. Her cheeks were blazing hot, and the thought of why was enough to grow her smile even more.

* * *

 **A/N: So you finally get to meet Sakura's family. The messy immediate family that is. Sora, Amaya, and Daymon are awesome new additions to my character workbook. My favorite scene was between the heart to heart between Sora and Sakura, and the heart to heart she had with her mother. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	9. I Don't Care About Myself

**A/N: I apologize for my long absence everyone. Sometimes I just need to step back and breathe. But it's all good now, and I've got 7 more chapters ready to go for this story. Check out my upload schedule on my blog for when I'm uploading. :)**

Review:

" _Who do you think you are? Trying to tell me about my life?"_

 _Watching as Sakura jumped off the bar stool to go outside, Sora chuckled. Shaking his head, his smile growing._

 _Meanwhile, Sakura paused once she was in the sun room. Feeling her own smile widen as she thought of her brother's observation. Her cheeks were blazing hot, and the thought of why was enough to grow her smile even more._

* * *

 **A few days later, Tuesday**

"So I think we should skip working today."

"Shikamaru, just because your parents are gone doesn't mean we get to slack off."

"It's not because they're gone," was Shikamaru's immediate reply, as he opened the front door of his house for Sakura to walk through first. A smirk on his face at Sakura immediately meeting her dogs. "I just think we should take a break today."

"We took a break the entire weekend that my family was here," Sakura pointed out, finishing up loving on her dogs, as she straightened up to walk to the kitchen. Going to the coffee pot that had finished brewing over the twenty minutes they were gone. "We planned to get some stuff done to make up for the time we weren't working. So we need to get it done."

Moving to sit down at the bar across from the kitchen counters, Shikamaru set down the bag in his hands. Pulling out both of their biscuits they had just bought. "Yeah, but we could do so many other things."

"We could," Sakura started, moving over to sit beside Shikamaru. Setting down both their cups of coffee. Her hands going to unwrap her biscuit as she smiled at him. "But we're going to get our work done. So that way your mom doesn't yell at you when she and your dad come home."

That had Shikamaru smirking, as he took a sip of his coffee. "I would say she'd yell at you too, but she likes you. So she'll blame both of us not working on me."

"You're right," Sakura agreed laughing. Taking a bite of the biscuit, her eyes lit up even more. "Oh my god, this is amazing."

"I knew you'd like it," Shikamaru replied chuckling. It was one of his secret breakfast places that not many people knew about. It was in a small little building towards the north side of the village. Sakura had been enamored with the atmosphere of the little breakfast place as soon as they walked in. "You like places like that."

"Like what?" Sakura questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"Hole-in-the-wall type places."

"What can I say?" Sakura questioned, shrugging as she chuckled. Taking another bite of her biscuit, she hummed happily. "This is so good."

 **Later that day**

Focusing in on the pictures in front of her, Sakura kept a frown on her face. Studying the many pictures spread across the floor was a lot more tasking than she first thought. They had gathered portfolios from local photographers, and picked up some that had got sent in from other villages. Shadow and Tank were stretched out sleeping in the middle of all the photos, and Baby was perched on the edge of one of the desks in the room.

Shikamaru was sitting by the window, looking out at the clouds. Finally his eyes went back to Sakura. "Can you just pick one already?"

The only response he got from Sakura was a low hum. Her eyes not leaving the photos.

"Sakura-"

"Shhh," Sakura shushed him, waving her hand to get him to shut up. Still not looking away from her photos.

"You're putting too much effort into this, it's not that big of a deal." Shikamaru told her after another moment of silence.

"I just want the perfect photographer for this," Sakura said after a moment.

"That's not it," Shikamaru disagreed, then shook his head. "Well that's not fully it."

"I really like photography, okay?" Sakura countered, finally looking away from the pictures to look at Shikamaru. "I've always liked it."

"Professional?"

"No, I'm not that good," Sakura replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I just take a lot of pictures."

Shikamaru grew a smirk on his face. "So when can I see some of your pictures?"

"About thirty years after I've died. I'll be writing that in my will," Sakura countered, then she joined his laughter. Eying the pictures again, she pointed out two portfolios that have caught her eye. "I really like these two. Although the others are pretty amazing too." Grabbing the portfolios, she handed them over to Shikamaru. "You decide."

Flipping through each portfolio, Shikamaru did have to admit both were good. Even for someone like him who didn't really put effort into stuff like that. _Sakura really likes them both…_ "How about we just pick both of them? It'll be a week long even with a lot of stuff going on. It'll be good to have more than one."

"In that case," Sakura started, reaching over to another portfolio, she held it up. "I really like this one too. I just figured giving you less choices will make it easier on you."

Laughing, Shikamaru shook his head at her. "I know you don't think I care, but it's surprisingly a lot easier to participate in this planning than I first thought."

"So would you say you enjoy it?" Sakura asked, a smile on her face, and a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah I guess," Shikamaru replied, smiling back at her. "You make it a lot easier to enjoy." It was quiet as they kept each others eyes, smiling away. Finally he moved to hand the portfolios back to her. "All three will be fine."

Nodding, Sakura collected the remainder portfolios to go put them in the file cabinet. Knowing very well they might decide to hire more photographers down the line, and she didn't want to throw them away. Plus she really liked the work of the other photographers too.

Watching Sakura for a moment longer, Shikamaru stood up. "When you're done get your shoes on."

"What? Why?" Sakura questioned, finishing putting the portfolios away, as her eyes went to him. He was walking towards the door.

"Because."

Blinking a few times, Sakura got up to follow Shikamaru out the room. "But we still have work to do. Picking the photographer isn't enough. We still have to let them all know-"

"We can finish it tomorrow," Shikamaru said, as he paused at the top of the stairs. Smirking at her slightly confused look. "You. Me. Food. Understand?"

Sakura was quiet, then she moved to walk past him down the stairs. "You had me at food. Let's go."

 **The next day**

"I'm good."

"Come on Shikamaru," Yoshino started in reply to her son's words. "A little bit of salad will be good for you."

"It's not like I don't eat vegetables mom," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes at his mom's frown. "I just prefer not eating them in a bowl with a whole bunch of other healthy things."

"You're missing out Shikamaru." Yoshino said after another moment. Shaking her head, but getting distracted by the sound of Tank barking outside. He was currently out there with Shikaku, who was running out his energy with a game of fetch.

After Shikamaru's mother left to go out on the front porch, Sakura turned to face Shikamaru. "There is no way that you don't like salads."

"Not you too," Shikamaru started, groaning at Sakura's look. "I already hear enough about this from my mom, my aunts, and Ino. I don't need you hounding me about it too."

"But they taste good-"

"I don't like salads. I won't like salads. End of story." Was all Shikamaru said.

Frowning after Shikamaru had closed his eyes, Sakura sat there for a moment. Finally getting an idea, she moved from where she was sitting. It wasn't until she was within a foot from Shikamaru that he had opened his eyes.

Seeing at how close Sakura was getting, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but didn't move away. "What are you-"

Settling so she was sitting directly next to him, Sakura continued to lean closer. Stopping when the tip of her nose just barely touched his cheek, she twitched it slightly. A small smile on her face. "You should really give it a chance."

"What are you doing Sakura?" Shikamaru chuckled after a moment, her nose twitching against his cheek was slightly ticklish. His smile growing at her not stopping.

"Please," Sakura continued on, her own smile growing. "I'll make it for you. All special and all that."

"Sakura… Okay fine."

"Ay!" Sakura jumped up from the couch happily. Just as Shikamaru's parents and Tank came inside. Her eyes on Shikamaru's mom. "I got him to agree to eating a salad if I make it for him."

Yoshino seemed to hold a look of disbelief on his face. "He really agreed?"

Shikaku held a smirk on his face. "Eating salads hasn't ever been his thing."

"I was basically given no choice in the matter," Shikamaru said, a smirk on his face, as he stood up from the couch. Going over to sit on one of the bar stools to watch Sakura, who was getting stuff out of the refrigerator.

After gathering all the ingredients, Sakura caught onto Shikamaru watching her. "Are you going to watch me the whole time?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied with no hesitation. "I want to know what I'm practically being forced to eat, and if I should be worried about it being poisoned."

While that made his parents laugh, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Ha ha. You're so funny." Starting on the base of the salad, she paused before putting anything else on. "What exactly do you not like? Oh, and what do you like?"

"I don't know why you think I'd give you any helpful answers," Shikamaru replied, a smirk on his face, as he propped his head up with his hand. "I don't eat salads remember?"

"Okay then..." Sakura trailed off, as she started adding in ingredients. "Since you're not being helpful, you're just going to be surprised."

"How is it a surprise if I'm watching you-"

"Don't ruin the surprise Shikamaru," Sakura interrupted him, smiling when that made his parents laugh. Finishing up the salad, she picked up the bowl, and started to walk to the dining room.

Shikamaru watched Sakura start to walk off. "Where are you going with my salad?"

"Careful Shikamaru, don't sound so excited," Sakura said, making his parents laugh again, and she paused at the doorway to the dining room. Looking back at him. "Your mom made a dinner that's a hell of a lot better than a simple salad. So you need to eat that too."

Soon they were all seated at the table, and Shikamaru had just taken the first bite of his salad. He had held a plain look on his face as he chewed, and finally he looked to Sakura. "It's not the worst thing I've ever tasted."

Noticing a small smile on his face, Sakura's own smile grew. "You like it."

"I didn't say that-"

Interrupting Shikamaru by leaning over to get close to his face again, Sakura's nose just barely touched his cheek. "Shikamaru."

At here closeness, Shikamaru sighed to hide his smile. "Fine. I like it. Happy?"

"I knew you would," was Sakura's only reply, as she moved back to her own bubble of personal space. A big smile on her face as she hummed.

Shikamaru's parents shared a look at the interaction at their son and Sakura. Yoshino was the first to speak after another moment of silence. "So we are going to be taking a trip out of the village this weekend."

That got Sakura and Shikamaru's attention. Shikamaru speaking first. "You two go out of the village almost every weekend lately. When do Sakura and I get to go out and leave you two with all the work?"

While that made his dad laugh first, Sakura's laughter was quick to join in. "You clearly still don't want to accept the fact that this is all just training for when you are the one who has to take on all this responsibility in a few years."

Shikamaru's eyes went back to Sakura. "What does that have to do with them getting to take a vacation every weekend?"

"They can do that, because we're responsible for getting the work done. Not them," Sakura replied, then she laughed again. "And if you were actually listening, your parents haven't been leaving to go on vacations every weekend. They still have stuff to do with running the operations of your clan, and a few things to do for the party too."

"She's right," Yoshino agreed with a nod, then gave a pointed glare at her son. "And if you wouldn't have been so quick to speak, then you would have heard me tell you that you two are coming with us."

"Oh..." Shikamaru trailed off, his eyes going over to Sakura only to find she had leaned over to pay attention to Shadow and Tank who were laying on the floor by her chair. "What are you-"

"My poor babies are going to be so lonely," was what Sakura had interrupted with. Just by having been speaking to her fur babies, Shadow and Tank both started wagging their tails, and paying attention to her. "I'm so sorry my loves, but you get to spend the weekend with your godmother."

"Godmother?" Shikamaru questioned, then he shook his head. "Hinata. Why did I even have to ask?"

Sitting up in her chair, Sakura glanced over to Shikamaru. "Beats me. You act like you don't know me. I thought we were closer than that."

Rolling his eyes at her dramatic words, Shikamaru focused on his parents. "When are we leaving, and where are we going?"

"It's a small village close to the south east edge of the fire country," Shikaku replied after chuckling at the exchange between his son and Sakura. "Not yet reaching the beaches. It's still in the forest area."

"We'll actually be leaving tomorrow. So it'll actually be Thursday through Saturday," Yoshino added on, her eyes on her son. "But it's not a vacation, we are there for work on some things for the party. I don't want you slacking off."

Sighing, Shikamaru picked up his drink, and took a sip. "I never can get a break."

Sakura's eyes lit up, as she smiled at Shikamaru. "Relax Shikamaru. Even though it'll still be work, we'll be fine. It'll be fun, you'll see."

 **A few days later, Saturday**

"Watch out!"

Sakura's loud exclamation was followed by a loud explosion. One that shook the ground under their feet, and made their ears ring. Smoke filled the air, and Sakura found herself alone. But not for long, as she spun around to fend off the attacking enemy. A symbol of a circle with a line down the center caught her eye on the enemies shoulder. A numbing feeling went through her mind, as it was just a reminder of why they were in this situation in the first place.

"Sakura!"

Shikamaru's exclamation hit her ears, and had her snapping out of her numbing thoughts. Finishing up the enemy she was fighting, Sakura turned to see Shikamaru across the clearing. His parents catching up not far behind him, as they had been holding their own against some of the enemy as well. Taking steps towards them, she stopped in her tracks, as her eyes caught sight of something to her right. Not far away, closer to the edge of the clearing that was the boarder to the village they were near, was a young boy.

The swift movement over Sakura's shoulder was the next thing she noticed, and it was a member from the enemy.

Staring her down, growing a dark twisted smirk on their face. Knowing very well that Sakura had noticed the young boy as well.

In that split second of pause, Sakura took in a breath, and bolted. Moving before the enemy could. As she went straight to the young boy, she deflected several of the enemies attacks. Feeling a stinging sensation in her upper arm, she knew she got hit, but the only thing she was focused on was that young boy who was screaming. Turning to send a jutsu to disturb the attacks of the enemy, Sakura turned and grabbed the boy. "Listen to me. Go back into the village. Go find your parents. Do not come back here."

"But-"

"Go!" Sakura exclaimed, interrupting the boy, as she let him go. Watching him spin around and start running, she turned back to face the Nara's. Only to find them much closer.

Shikamaru being only feet from her, as he looked her over. "Sakura, we need to get you out of here."

Quiet at the fact that Shikamaru knew that the enemy was after her, Sakura finally turned her head. "No. I have to go after them."

"No," Shikamaru started back at her, grabbing her arm gently. Looking at the area where one of the enemy's kunai grazed her arm. "You got injured-"

"I need to go Shikamaru," Sakura interrupted him sharply. "They'll come back if I don't."

"Sakura, your safety is what is important here," Yoshino added, a frown on her face.

Shikaku was nodding in agreement with his wife and son. "It's best we get you out of here now while they are distracted."

Knowing very well Sakura was going to continue to disagree, Shikamaru moved closer to her to get her to look at him. "Sakura."

"Shikamaru, I already said-" Stopping mid-sentence at sight of something behind the Nara's, Sakura's eyes widened. _No._ Moving then, she felt as if she was going in slow motion. Darting around the Nara's, she started to move across the clearing. Just in time to deflect one of the last remaining enemies jutsu with a jutsu of her own. Without much time to think of her next move, Sakura felt an intense pain in her stomach. Everything around her still moved slowly, as her eyes went down to see blood dripping out of wound from the enemies katana sinking into her flesh.

Then time sped up again, and Sakura retracted her fist and punched the man in front of her causing him to fly back. The katana was ripped out of her stomach, causing more intense pain. But she kept her eyes focused on the guy. Who recovered, but knew his loss was here as his men were too injured to continue fighting.

The guy stared her in the eye, and smirked. "You're lucky… This time."

Then they were gone. Leaving the training ground silent for a moment.

"Sakura," was the first word spoken to break the silence. Shikamaru and his parents were back at her side. Shikamaru's eyes were wide as he looked at her with blood coming from her wounds.

Breathing heavily, Sakura's hand was at her stomach, but her eyes were on Shikamaru and his parents. "Are you all alright?"

"It's not about us!" Shikamaru exclaimed in response. His expression showed he was clearly unsettled and concerned about what was going on, unlike his usual calm self.

Knowing Shikamaru was bugging out about her injuries, Sakura shook her head. Still having to catch her breath as she found the task growing harder as time went on. "My injuries aren't that bad. I need to go make sure no one got hurt in the village."

At Sakura starting to turn away, Shikamaru's eyes widened. "You're injured. You can't just ignore that-"

"I don't care about myself!" Sakura exclaimed, as she spun around to face Shikamaru. Starting to cough, she felt liquid in the back of her throat, and she spit it out. Ruby red liquid cam out, and fell to the grass in front of her.

"Oh lord," Yoshino started, having been the first to see the blood.

"Sakura," was all Shikamaru said, noticing her begin to waiver, he stepped closer, and brought his hands to her sides to try and steady her.

Feeling her whole body weakening, Sakura tried to push past it as she shook her head. "I don't care about myself… I just have to make sure everyone else is okay." Coughing up more blood, she felt a lightness over her whole body, then everything went dark.

 **A couple hours later**

Pushing her eyes open, Sakura still felt as if her whole body was sluggish. It didn't take her long to recognize that she was in a hospital. The sanitized light environment, and the beeping machines near her gave that away. Finally remembering what was going on before she fell unconscious she moved to sit up, but felt a hand going to her arm to stop her.

"You don't need to be moving right now dear."

The voice, belonging to Yoshino, hit Sakura's ears, and she looked over to her left. Shikamaru's mom and dad were sitting in chairs by the window in the room a few feet away. Shikamaru was the one beside her, and had his hand on her arm. When her eyes met his, she could see concern in his eyes.

"You've been unconscious for a couple hours," Shikamaru started to explain to her after a moment of silence. "We brought you-"

"To the hospital," Sakura interrupted him, her look changing to one of irritation, as she slipped her arm away from his hand. "You brought me to the hospital?"

Raising an eyebrow at her irritated tone, Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Why are you getting so mad-"

There was a knock on the door, and a doctor walked in. "Oh you're up?" The doctor questioned, a smile on her face as she walked over. "The good news is that your injury to your arm won't need any stitches, but unfortunately the one to your abdomen will-"

"And my scans?" Sakura interrupted the doctor quickly.

"What?" The doctor questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"My scans," Sakura repeated. A hand at her chest, as she had to catch her breath a little. "One of my wounds is caused from a penetration of a weapon, and you can't just stitch me up without scans. What if there is something from the weapon inside of me?"

The doctor sighed after Sakura finished speaking, but put a smile on her face. "We were able to examine the wound pretty well while you were unconscious. There doesn't seem like there should be any reason for scans-"

"Seems like?" Sakura interrupted before sighing liked the doctor had. Clasping her hands together, she closed her eyes. "Alright then. Since you're so sure that there isn't even the slightest chance that there is no left over debris from the weapon, or that there isn't any smaller tears to my internal organs that can turn to bigger tears leading to me bleeding out and dying once you send me home, let's go ahead with your plan."

The doctor stared at Sakura, before sighing again. "You're a doctor aren't you?"

"You're damn right I'm a doctor." Sakura shot back, frowning as she opened her eyes.

The doctor just tried to continue on smiling. "Well respecting the fact that you are a doctor, you are now in the patient position-"

"My name is Sakura Haruno." Sakura interrupted the woman, closing her eyes with a sigh.

Almost immediately the doctor's face changed, and she stepped forward with wide eyes. "Oh my- The Sakura Haruno? Oh my god. It's a pleasure to have you here- well not a pleasure considering the circumstances, but- Oh my god."

Opening her eyes, Sakura fought the urge to roll them, and sighed heavily as she stared at the ceiling. "You didn't scan me," she started, looking over to the doctor. "So you are not touching me. I want to see what material you have that you would use to close up my wounds, and when you come back I'm going to need a viable excuse as to why you wouldn't scan me before stitching me up, and then I might let you continue." It was quiet then for a moment, then Sakura opened her eyes again. "I'm not kidding, go now."

"Right, my apologies," the doctor turned around quickly and left the room.

Shikamaru was quick to speak to Sakura when the doctor had left. "Really? Is this necessary?"

Sakura turned her head sharply to face him, and slapped his hand away from her arm. "You brought me to a hospital Shikamaru."

That had Shikamaru's eyes going wide, then they narrowed. "What else were we supposed to do? Leave you to die?"

Shikamaru's low angry voice had Sakura growling with irritation back at him, but her focus went back to the doctor who had come into the room. A tray in hands, which she set down on the table beside Sakura's bed. Sakura's eyes went to the doctor as she forced a smile to her face. "I'm going to need some drugs."

The doctor raised an eyebrow "What?"

"I'm in pain," Sakura replied, as she brought a hand to rest lightly over her abdomen. "And the only thing you are giving me now is blood in this IV. Last time I checked that doesn't help with pain. That just helps replenish my blood so I don't bleed out and die."

The doctor nodded and turned away without disagreement. "Right, that might take me a bit longer. But I should be back in five minutes or so."

"Take your time," Sakura called back as she watched the doctor walking out of the room.

"Is this really necessary-"

"Shut up," Sakura interrupted Shikamaru abruptly as soon as the door closed. Her hands went to unhook herself from the machines. "That was just to get her out of the room."

"Hey! What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked slightly alarmed at her taking out her IV next, and then blood coming from her arm.

"Shut up, and don't be so loud," Sakura shot back after healing the prick from the IV. Reaching over to the tray the doctor brought in, she grabbed the staple gun. Without any hesitation she lifted up her shirt, and proceeded to staple her wound closed.

This had Shikamaru's alarm raising. "What in the hell are you doing?"

"Sakura," Yoshino said, as her eyes were just as wide as her sons.

"The doctor is coming back you know?" Shikaku added, an eyebrow raised but not nearly as alarmed as his wife and son were.

"I'm not going to let these people do anything to me," was what Sakura replied with as she finished the staples, and set the stapler back down. Grabbing bandage next, she covered the wound, then the wound on her arm. Once done with that, she pushed the covers back to get up.

Shikamaru's eyes remained wide as he stepped in her way to keep her from moving anymore. "Have you lost your mind?"

"A little help here," was all Sakura said back, as she raised an arm towards him.

It was quiet for a long moment, then Shikamaru shook his head and moved over to help her up. "You are crazy."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura said, once all the way up, she moved towards the window. "Let's get out of here before that doctor comes back."

Almost twenty minutes later, and they were finally back at where they had been staying over the weekend. Once in the living room of their small house, Shikamaru moved to carefully help Sakura sit down. His eyes studying her, as she tried to catch her breath. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay! I just stapled my already painful wounds without any kind of painkillers." Sakura snapped back at him, then took a few deep breaths. "I need my medical bag. I'm going to stitch myself up."

It was quiet for a long moment, as Shikamaru stared at Sakura for a long moment. Trying to decide if he was going to keep enabling her crazy, or ignore what she wanted and bring her back to the hospital.

A few minutes later, Sakura was beginning to stitch up the wound to her abdomen. The intense pain was being slightly numbed with her medical chakra and a shot of vodka she had to argue with Shikamaru about her taking before she started. His parents had been fairly silent, more or less his father's doing, as he understood that this didn't need his or his wife's input.

Having been silent during the first few stitches Sakura did, Shikamaru finally broke his silence, as he turned full on to face her. "You are absolutely crazy! You could have got yourself killed today! Then on top of that, you left the hospital! You can't just do things like that!"

Scoffing at Shikamaru's sharp tone of voice, Sakura rolled her eyes. "I know what I did."

At her dismissal of his point, Shikamaru clenched his fists, then unclenched them before speaking. "So we're on the same page; you've lost your mind."

"No," Sakura said, pausing in her stitches to take a breath at the throbbing pain in her abdomen. "I haven't lost my mind."

"You clearly have if you think that what you did today was okay!"

After the exclamation from Shikamaru, he and Sakura had started bickering back and forth, as his parents stared on. Finally Yoshino looked over to her husband. "I don't think we should just be standing by and letting this happen Shikaku."

"I know it's hard on you dear," Shikaku started back in reply to his wife. He was able to read her unsure expression all over her face. "But, I have a feeling that this is a little out of our reach in how much we can help here. Our son doesn't realize it, but this situation is a lot more complicated than it seems."

"He's just concerned about her," Yoshino replied softly, eying the two younger ninja who were still arguing. Crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes went to her husband. "It's hard not to be."

"Well-"

"For goodness sake!" Sakura exclaimed, interrupting Shikaku from responding to his wife. She had just finished up her stitches, and was glaring at Shikamaru. "If I stayed at that hospital I would be in their system!"

That had Shikamaru silent as he stared back at her. His parents attention was back on Sakura as well.

Sakura just kept Shikamaru's eyes, with a serious expression on her face. "My name would send up red flags to the village. Tsunade would proceed to flip out if she found out I got attacked again outside the village. She would then send god knows how many anbu units to come and escort me home. Do you know how incredibly annoying and embarrassing that would be for me?"

Shikamaru was silent for a long moment. "Sakura, if you didn't get that badly injured I would understand, but this is bad!"

"You just don't get it," Sakura told him, grabbing the bandage to put over her stitches carefully.

"I'm sorry, are you saying I don't get that your insane for leaving the hospital? The place that is probably the best place for you right now? I don't-"

"No, I'm saying that you don't understand that this is not the first time this has happened to me!" Sakura interrupted him, snapping at him. Looking down at her injury to bandage it. "I already told you that, but you still don't get it. I have been dealing with this from a very, very young age. Years upon years of having people hovering over me, and worrying when the next time will be. I am not about to set alarms off for those people to have them worry about me again."

That softened Shikamaru's face considerably. "Sakura-"

"You know what," Sakura interrupted, finishing up bandaging herself, and pushing herself up from the ground. Flinching at the pain, but pushing through. "This is just another example of why I am not telling my friends about this, about why it's happening. Because things like this happen, and they get involved." Turning away from Shikamaru and his parents. "I apologize for your involvement, that's on me. But, I can assure you this will not happen again."

Frowning deeply at her words, Shikamaru's eyes followed her. "Sakura."

Ignoring him, Sakura moved to walk outside to sit on the front porch. Having to support herself by holding on to the wall and the door to walk out, but she made it.

Shikamaru watched the door that slightly slammed shut when she left. Not moving to go after her. Holding a deep frown on his face, he clenched his fists after a long moment.

 **A few hours later**

"Okay so you got everything done this weekend correct?"

Tsunade's question was met with a growing awkward silence. The Nara's and Sakura had just made it back to the village. Shikamaru had ended up having to carry Sakura back due to her injuries, but her threatening him to silence the whole time was the only way that had worked out. Making him set her down outside the village to ensure that nobody would see her injuries. When they arrived in Tsunade's office, they had returned their scroll that signified they had been allowed to leave the village. Not much more had been said.

"Yeah, everything was done," Shikaku spoke up after another moment of silence. He noticed Tsunade was beginning to become aware that something was going on. Her eyes showed suspicion, and they were leaning more towards Sakura than the rest of them. _Well it is not that surprising that she'd notice something is off. She seems to know Sakura pretty well._

"Alright, you can go," Tsunade started, her hand resting on the top of the scroll, and her eyes were narrowing on her student. The pink haired woman's eyes were focusing on the ceiling. _Something's going on with-_ Her eyes caught onto a bandage on Sakura's side. Just barely visible with the dip of shirt under her arms. Having already noticed the one on Sakura's arm, her hand curled around the scroll, then she tossed it to the floor by Sakura's feet. "Before you go, Sakura will you pick that up for me?"

Tsunade's question had Sakura's insides go cold, and her eyes went down to the scroll on the floor. Closing her eyes after a moment, she finally sighed and crossed her arms. "Really? You clearly already saw that I was injured. Why in the damn hell would you do something like that?"

Ignoring Sakura's question, Tsunade frowned at her. "What happened?"

It was quiet for a long moment, finally Sakura opened her eyes, and looked to Tsunade. "Don't freak out, okay?"

"What happened?" Was all Tsunade countered with.

It was quiet for another long moment, finally Sakura sighed, and recounted what happened. As soon as she finished up telling Tsunade everything that happened up until she passed out, she held up a hand. "But, like I said: don't freak out. I took care of it."

"No Sakura," was the first thing Tsunade said after having been listening to everything Sakura said without saying a word. Her expression had remained unreadable the entire time, unlike now where it reflected anger. "You didn't take care of it. You didn't send a message, or the hospital you were at didn't send a message."

Sighing, Sakura crossed her arms and mumbled under her breath. "That's exactly why I didn't stay at a hospital-"

"Are you kidding me?!" Tsunade exclaimed, interrupting Sakura as she stood up from her desk. "Are you that incredibly stupid?!"

"Tsunade-"

"Shizune!" Tsunade interrupted Sakura again, as she started to walk around her desk. At the sight of Shizune entering her office, she met her eyes. "Get the elders now!"

"That's really unnecessary," Sakura started, waving her hands in Shizune's direction. Her eyes going to Shikamaru, who had been silent since before they had left the village they were at before. "Would you just tell her that everything is fine-"

"Shut up and sit down!" Tsunade exclaimed at Sakura.

 **Almost an hour later**

Sitting on top of Tsunade's desk, Sakura's arm was back behind her head, as Tsunade was currently checking her injury on her side. It was completely silent in the room.

"Tch," Tsunade mumbled after a moment, her eyes reflecting her anger with her student. "How can you be so incredibly stupid? I just don't get it Sakura."

Not saying anything back to Tsunade, Sakura's eyes remained focused up on the ceiling. Her mouth a tight line across her face.

"Oh," Tsunade said when Sakura didn't respond. "So you're going to ignore me now?"

That had Sakura's eyes darting straight to Tsunade. "Sorry, a half hour long lecture from the elders kind of ruins my mood. Or having an anbu unit up here to question me about what happened could have done it. Or the entire medical team you brought in here could have also done it. Maybe you should try talking to me again on a day when you haven't already pissed me off."

"Oh, I've pissed you off?" Tsunade questioned, an eyebrow raised. Pausing in examining Sakura's wound. "Don't even get me started Sakura. You've pissed several people off, and you've only been back in the village for an hour."

"Well maybe you shouldn't make a big deal about stuff like this in the first place," Sakura bit back irritably. "Then all those people could have been spared."

"Or," Tsunade countered, her eyes glaring at Sakura. "You could act like a grown up, and just let them do their job in the first place."

"You know, it's hard to act like a grown up when I'm treated like a child who can't handle herself," Sakura shot back, her glare equally challenging Tsunade's.

"No one is treating you-"

"Oh, so do you do this to everyone who gets attacked outside the village?" Sakura interrupted, before rolling her eyes. "I'm surprised that anyone still wants you to be Hokage then-"

"Sakura!" Shizune interrupted, from where she was standing over with the Nara's. All of which have been quiet, listening to Sakura and Tsunade bicker back and forth.

Sakura closed her eyes, and frowned. "Right. I'm just going to keep my mouth shut about something that is none of your damn business in the first place."

"That's enough of that," a voice spoke from outside the room, the door was pushed the rest of the way open to reveal Hinata. A frown on her face, as her eyes went directly to Sakura.

Sakura ignored her friend, and glared at Tsunade. "Oh you told her too. That's just great-"

"Sakura shut up," Hinata interrupted, continuing into the room to pause a few feet from where Sakura was. Surprising to everyone else Sakura did just that, and only responded to Hinata with a glare. "Actually I found out from some nurses at the hospital, who heard it from the medical team that was here," she started, as she walked even closer Sakura, and looked at Sakura's injury. Touching it, and swatting away Sakura's hand when she tried to push her away. "That's pretty deep, but those stitches should be fine." Straightening up, she propped her hands on her hips. "When you got the bright idea to leave that hospital, were you just being rebellious, or just being stupid?"

"What do you think?" Sakura shot back irritably.

"I'm thinking it was neither," Hinata replied back, her look softening. "You were just trying to keep from making a big deal."

"Wow, you're not the first person to come to that conclusion today," Sakura shot back.

"Because," Hinata continued, watching Sakura's eyes. "It wasn't just you out there." It got really quiet then as Sakura didn't respond. No smart mouthed comments or anything. Hinata crossed her arms. "Sakura, you know that if you just simply tell your friends what's really going on, it will lighten the load on your shoulders."

"You know-"

"Yes I know you don't want to because you want to protect them," Hinata interrupted her. "But, how much longer can you keep this from people you see almost everyday? Naruto and Sai have no clue what's going on, and they've been on your team for a while. Naruto a long while. Ino and Tenten have no idea either. Shikamaru and his parents, the people who you're currently living with, have absolutely no idea."

"It's better that way," Sakura mumbled back.

"Maybe it was better that way, but you and your friends have grown up. They can handle it," Hinata started, before sighing. "Like I said, you've been acting this way because it wasn't just you out there today. Just like it wasn't just you when they attacked you and your team on that mission a few weeks ago. One of your biggest fears has been that the people close to you are going to get hurt because of what's happening to you, and everytime something like today happens it makes you feel at fault."

Sakura was silent as her eyes dropped down to the floor. "Say one of them got hurt today. This enemy is there because of me. Who's fault is it supposed to be Hinata?"

"Whoever it was who got hurt," Shikamaru spoke up surprisingly. "If I got hurt today, it's because I made a mistake. It has nothing to do with you."

"He's right Sakura," Hinata sighed at Sakura's silence. "You can't keep this to yourself for much longer Sakura. I know you're afraid of what's going to happen, but it's going to eat you alive to keep this to yourself for much longer."

Sakura hummed after a moment, and turned her head from Hinata. "You're annoying."

"So are you," Hinata shot back quickly, before turning around. "Now, I've got to go respond to a message from your mother, who's flipping out about this."

"You told my mother?" Sakura shot at Tsunade, her eyes wide.

Tsunade frowned, and propped both hands on her hips. "Well we weren't just going to leave it to you to do it after you failed to tell her about the last time."

Sakura groaned in response to Tsunade's words. "Oh no…" she trailed off, then her eyes went to Hinata. "Tell my mother that I'm alive and fine, and I really don't need her to come to the village."

"I'll try," Hinata said, then shook her head, and turned to leave the room. "But if she shows up, it's because she thinks your just as stupid as I do."

"Gee thanks." Sakura shot back, frowning as she watched Hinata leave the room. "Ow!"

Sakura exclamation was caused by Tsunade going back to examining her wound, as she started to put bandages back over it.

"You need to take it easy for a few days."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura laughed sarcastically. "Yeah okay."

"Roll your eyes at me again." Tsunade challenged, frowning darkly at her student.

Huffing with irritation, Sakura turned her head sharply away from Tsunade.

Finishing bandaging up her student, Tsunade went to grab her prescription pad from her desk. "I'm serious about taking it easy Sakura. I'm going to prescribe you some medicine to help this heal better."

"No," was Sakura's immediate response.

"What do you mean no?" Tsunade countered, a hand propped on her hip. "I'm not just advising you getting medicine for the hell of it Sakura. This is a serious wound-"

"I don't need it," Sakura interrupted, her eyes meeting Tsunade's. "I'll be fine."

"No actually, you won't Sakura," Tsunade replied, a frown on her face. "You are stubborn and impatient. You won't relax like I tell you to, so the least you can do is take medicine."

"I don't need any medicine-"

"If you keep disagreeing with me on this, I'm admitting you to the hospital, and I will have you restrained if I have to," Tsunade interrupted Sakura, holding out the prescription she wrote to Sakura. "So, what's it going to be? You doing as I ask in your own freedom? Or against your will? Do not test me-"

"Fine!" Sakura exclaimed interrupting Tsunade. Snatching the prescription paper from Tsunade's hand. "This is ridiculous, you are ridiculous!"

Tsunade crossed her arms, and watched Sakura turn away to leave her office. "And you better take the medicine once you get it, don't think I won't have you randomly drug tested to make sure you are taking it-"

The sound of Tsunade's office door slamming shut behind Sakura interrupted Tsunade. It was quiet for a long moment. Finally noticeable movement from where the Nara's and Shizune had been standing quietly during all this. Shikamaru had shifted more so he was facing the door, but didn't move.

Her eyes focusing in on her son, Yoshino's hand went to rest on her husband arm. Catching his eyes, she nodded at him, then stood up. "Tsunade, we should discuss what's going to happen from here. I don't want to hold off on planning for this party, but we really want to make sure that Sakura is going to be okay."

"Oh you don't have to worry," Tsunade replied, moving to stand up from her desk. "It's going to be handled."

"Well, I know that she is an adult, and can handle herself," Yoshino replied, her hands behind her back. "But, as she is living under my roof, I would like to be informed on exactly how it's going to be handled. You'll have to understand that as a mother to an 18-year-old, age is but a number to me. They are still children in my eyes."

As his wife and Tsunade continued on, Shikaku leaned over towards his son. "You can go now. Your mother and I have it handled here."

Nodding, Shikamaru pushed himself up from the chair he was in, and slipped out of Tsunade's office. Quietly closing the door behind himself, he took off down the hall, and outside on top of the stairs. Pausing as his eyes caught sight of Sakura sitting on the steps halfway down the stairs. Taking the steps down until he was a few steps down from her, he turned to face her. Her eyes were closed, and one of her hands rested on her abdomen. When she said nothing, he sighed, and turned his back to face her. "Climb on."

"What?" Was Sakura's sharp reply.

However, Shikamaru was quick to spin around and face her. Reaching his hand up to catch her chin, causing her to open her eyes quickly, and the glare in them was mixed with surprise at his quick action. His own eyes were filled with a seriousness, then he spoke calmly to her. "Listen to me. You are going to shut up, climb on my back, and we are going to go to the hospital. We are going to get your prescription filled, then we are going to go home. You will proceed to take your medicine, lie down, and get some rest," he paused, then let go of her chin. "And you are going to do all of that without a single complaint, because you're going to let me help you whether you like it or not."

After a long tense moment of silence with them both staring each other down, Sakura finally sighed, and dropped her eyes down. "I think I tore one of my stitches. So I can't exactly jump on your back, so you're going to have to come another step closer to me."

Shikamaru hesitated, having not expected her to agree so quickly to what he was saying. After another moment, he took a step up to be closer to her, and turned and knelt down. Feeling her hands slide over his shoulders, her arms, then her whole body was close to him. Taking a breath in, he brought his hands to her legs to help support her, then picked her up. _She's a piece of work, who irritates me to no end, but it's almost impossible for me to stay mad at her._

 **A couple hours later**

It was quiet in the Nara house. The only sounds was from Yoshino and Shikaku preparing dinner, and Baby swatting at one of her toys on the ground. Shikamaru was seated on the couch that faced the kitchen, and was writing things down on a pad of paper. On the rest of the couch was Sakura. Having been asleep for the past hour. Her pill bottles resting on the coffee table, one of them knocked over from where Baby had tried to swat at it. Shadow and Tank were on the floor beside the couch, having been brought over by Hinata just after Sakura had fell asleep.

Shikaku and Yoshino had been rather quiet as they had been preparing dinner. Shikaku having just finished putting the meat on a plate to take out to the grill, looked over to his son. His eyes having met his wife's concerned one's on the way. "Son?"

When Shikamaru didn't reply, Yoshino spoke up. "Shikamaru?"

Finally looking up at his parents, Shikamaru sighed. "What- I mean yes?"

"You've been writing on the paper since we got home a half hour ago." Shikaku pointed out.

Shikamaru nodded after a moment, and flipped to a new page on the pad of paper. "I have a lot to do. I may have managed to get Sakura to cooperate enough to go get her medicine and take it right now, but when she wakes up I guarantee it's not going to be so easy. She'll fight resting and taking her medicine, because after this past month we've worked together I've learned she's probably one of the most stubborn and hardheaded people I've ever met, and will probably ever meet. She's going to want to go back to work, so I figured if I go head and take care of everything we had planned for the next few days she'll have one less thing to bargain her way out of taking it easy for a few days."

Silence overcame them once again. Finally his mother spoke. "Well that's quite thoughtful of you… Tsunade said she is looking into more steps to keeping her safe and secure here in the village. Of course, now that she's staying under my roof, I expect she'll be just fine here."

Shikaku nodded in agreement with his wife. "She'll be fine here no doubt."

It wasn't until after Shikaku left outside to go to the grill, and his mother had left to go back to her bedroom for a moment, that Shikamaru finally stopped his writing, and looked over to Sakura. After the chaotic day they had, her face held a calmness that was welcoming. She looked peaceful. _Yeah, she'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to her here._

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter down! I really enjoyed writing in the fun scene with Sakura getting Shikamaru to eat the salad. I thought it'd be nice to have such a light and happy scene before the scene that followed. What was your favorite scene?**

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	10. Take Your Medicine

_Review:_

 _Silence overcame them once again. Finally his mother spoke. "Well that's quite thoughtful of you… Tsunade said she is looking into more steps to keeping her safe and secure here in the village. Of course, now that she's staying under my roof, I expect she'll be just fine here."_

 _Shikaku nodded in agreement with his wife. "She'll be fine here no doubt."_

 _It wasn't until after Shikaku left outside to go to the grill, and his mother had left to go back to her bedroom for a moment, that Shikamaru finally stopped his writing, and looked over to Sakura. After the chaotic day they had, her face held a calmness that was welcoming. She looked peaceful. Yeah, she'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to her here._

* * *

 **The next day**

The sound of Shadow and Tank running down the hallway into the living was the first thing breaking the silence in the main area of the Nara house. Yoshino was cooking breakfast, Shikaku was reading the newspaper at the bar, and Shikamaru was waiting for the coffee pot to finish brewing the coffee. His eyes moving to the entrance to the hall when he heard the shuffling of human feet on the floor.

Out walked Sakura, dressed in sweatpants, and a loose fitting t-shirt. Her hair up in a messy bun, and she was rubbing her face.

"Good morning Sakura," Yoshino was the first to greet the pink haired woman.

After yawning, Sakura offered a smile to Yoshino. "Good morning," she said, turning to go let the dogs outside the front. Moving to stretch her arms up in attempt to wake up a bit, she regretted it almost immediately when the movement had brought her pain in her side.

"So," Shikamaru started, noticing her pain right away, as she had brought a hand to her injured area. "You should go take your medicine."

Hearing Shikamaru's words put a sour expression on Sakura's face, as she turned her narrowed eyes towards him. "Look, we're not doing this. I can take care of myself."

"Well I think I'm going to have to take a page from Hinata's book, and say that you can't," Shikamaru was surprisingly quick to counter her. "Take your medicine."

Laughing sarcastically, Sakura slapped her hands together. "Look, yesterday I was in a lot of pain and annoyed, it was pretty easy for me to agree to just going home and taking the medicine. Just because you think that you got me to listen to yesterday, doesn't mean you are all of a sudden in charge of my healthcare."

"You're right," Shikamaru once again countered her words, a smirk on his face. "I figured that last night was a one time thing, so I planned ahead. All of our work for the next few days was finished last night, so you will have no excuse not to rest. I also found out from my parents that Tsunade's also taking your patients away from you for the next few days, so there's no point in trying to go work at the hospital. So you have all the time in the world to relax and take it easy."

"I can still go train." Sakura pointed out after a moment.

Shikamaru's smirk grew at her bringing that up. "That's true, but I know you won't. Because if you do, I will find out where your team is, and bring up what happened on our getaway from the village. Not only will they not want you to train, but they will question you. On and on. Until you want to rip out your hair."

Sakura was quiet, as she crossed her arms. "You want to keep me captive here, that's fine. But I still don't want to hear anything about my health-"

"I know, because you think I'm incredibly annoying and all in your business," Shikamaru interrupted, laughing at the look of annoyance on her face. "That's why if you don't take your medicine I will send a message to Tsunade."

"You wouldn't..." Sakura trailed off after a moment, losing her look of annoyance to be replaced with uncertainty. She wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not.

Shikamaru stared back at her, crossing his arms back at her. "I'll go get a scroll right now."

It was quiet for a long moment, then finally Sakura scowled after Shadow and Tank came in. Shutting the door, she turned to go back to the hall her bedroom was off of. "You are so annoying!"

"Likewise," Shikamaru replied back to her, laughing at her frowning at him over her shoulder. "And you should go ahead and bring your pills out here so I can make sure you actually take them. Because your word isn't going to cut it."

Stopping, Sakura laughed sarcastically, then glared deeply at him. "You know, you and Hinata seem to think it's really cute to threaten to tell Tsunade every five seconds I do something she wouldn't approve of, but it is really annoying."

Smirking back at her, Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "I think Hinata would agree with me in saying that we don't really care."

Growling lowly at Shikamaru's smirk, Sakura spun back around and started down the hall. _His_ _l_ _ittle grin is so damn annoying._

The sound of Sakura grumbling about him had Shikamaru chuckling. Shaking his head, he turned to the coffee maker, and poured coffee into his mug.

The sound of the dogs trotting in was heard, then human footsteps followed.

"Oh good morning Hinata," Yoshino greeted the guest who had walked in after the dogs.

"Good morning," Hinata greeted back with a smile. Loving on Shadow and Tank for a moment, as they wanted attention.

"Sakura was just in here," Shikaku spoke up, his eyes lifting up from the newspaper to accept the coffee mug his wife handed him. Taking a sip, then his eyes returned to the newspaper. "I'm assuming she's the reason for you visit this morning."

This actually had Hinata chuckling, as she reached over and grabbed Baby from where she was perched on the back of one of the couches. "Yeah, I'm just here to make sure she's actually taking care of herself."

"What a coincidence," Shikamaru smirked, sipping on his coffee, as he leaned back against one of the kitchen counters. "That's what I'm doing."

Laughing once again, Hinata scratched at Baby's ears. The cat had relaxed in her arms, and was comfortable with the attention. "In that case we should tag team, and try to make her hate us more than she already does."

That had the Nara's laughing, leaving them all distracted for when Sakura re-entered the room. Her eyes went straight to Hinata, then she gave them a roll. "God you're here."

"Good morning princess, I would ask how you slept, but your bitchiness answers my question," Hinata replied, a smirk growing on her face. Letting Baby down on the back of the couch, she crossed her arms. "Or is it that you're just mad because Tsunade refused to allow you to act like a psycho with a death wish yesterday?"

"Get away from me," was Sakura's only response, as she brushed past Hinata. Stopping by the kitchen counter, she pulled the cap off one of her pill bottles, then started on the other.

Rolling her eyes at Sakura's words, Hinata turned to face her. "Did you take your medicine yet?"

Hearing that only seemed to infuriate Sakura, as she was quick to take her pills out of the bottles. Shoving the pills in her mouth, she reached over, took the coffee mug Shikamaru was holding, and took a sip to help the pills go down. All while not losing her glare in Hinata's direction.

Nodding her head once, Hinata smirked once again. "Good girl."

"I don't appreciate being talked to like a dog," Sakura shot back to her best friend, then turned to Shadow and Tank. Who, just by seeing that their mom was looking at them, started to wag their tails happily. "No offense my loves."

"Of course you are rude to everyone except your dogs."

"That's where you are wrong my dear best friend," Sakura replied, propping her free hand on her hip. "I was perfectly civil to Yoshino and Shikaku. I just really don't appreciate you and Mr.-Take-Your-Medicine-Or-I'm-Going-To-Tell-On-You over there."

Laughing at his new nickname, Shikamaru shook his head. "You are too dramatic."

Sipping at the coffee mug in her hand again, Sakura frowned. "Uh," she started, her eyes going to Shikamaru. "Why would you give me this? You know I like creamer or at least milk and sugar in my coffee."

"Well for starters," Shikamaru replied, taking the coffee mug back from her. "I didn't give that to you, you took it. Secondly, it was mine, so that's why it doesn't have all of that extra stuff in there."

That didn't seem to shake Sakura, as she shrugged back at him. "Okay well, if you are going to practically force these pills down my throat, you should at least have my coffee ready next time."

Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru smirked, after sipping at the coffee mug. "I'll keep that in mind."

That brought laughter from his parents and Hinata. The blue haired girl turned towards the door, but paused to look over her shoulder to Sakura. "I'll be around later this evening to make sure you take the rest of your pills. I have training today, and I don't have time to babysit you."

"Gee, I feel so blessed that you could take time out of your busy schedule to see me," Sakura bit back, having poured her own cup of coffee, and just added in her creamer. "I'm feeling the love Hinata."

"Really? Because all I'm sensing from you is animosity," Hinata replied, then she chuckled. "Try to get some rest today."

"Don't tell me what to do," was all Sakura replied with as she walked by Hinata to go sit on one of the couches.

Sighing, Hinata shook her head, and moved to leave.

It wasn't until the door was closed that Shikamaru moved over to sit on the couch near Sakura. A smirk on his face. "So are you taking drugs to make you sleep? I'm just asking because I don't know how long I'll be able to put up with this pleasant attitude of yours."

The sarcasm in Shikamaru's voice had Sakura laughing, as she sipped at her coffee mug. A twinkle in her eyes as she looked to him. "Shut up."

 **A few hours later**

"I know you're awake."

"So what?"

"So stop ignoring me… Sakura-"

"God how do I make you stop talking?" Sakura interrupted, her eyes opening, and she looked over to the other side of the couch. Her tired eyes met Shikamaru's, and she frowned at him. "After recently having had part of a katana lodged into my abdomen, I think sleep is what the doctor ordered for recovery."

Rolling his eyes at her tone, Shikamaru picked up Baby from where she had made herself comfortable on his lap. Holding her out in Sakura's direction, he set her down on Sakura's curled up legs. "Your cat is being needy, and your dogs have been full of energy the past few hours. I'm not here to take care of your animals."

"Then why else are you here?" Sakura countered him, yawning and stretching, then she grabbed Baby to pull her closer to her chest. Her eyes going over towards the sunroom entrance when she heard Shadow and Tank's barking from the backyard.

"Because I live here," Shikamaru replied back, shaking his head at how that had his parents laughing from where they were on the couch across from them.

"Yeah, well so do I," Sakura shot back, smiling mischievously at him. "For at least another month, so I'm going to need you to learn to accept the fact that you are now partially responsible for my furbabies."

"No, that's not how this works-"

"Well that's the new rule."

With a smirk growing on his face, Shikamaru shook his head at her. "So you get to make up all the rules now?"

"Yep. The next one is that we stop thinking of me as injured, and get back to work on stuff for the party-"

"Now I'm vetoing this one," Yoshino interrupted Sakura, looking up from the details she was writing for the request for the people who were catering the food for the party. "Privileges of actually being one of the two owners of the house."

Sakura shrugged then, as she looked to Shikamaru. "Very well. Your mom and dad can veto the rules, but you have no say."

Shadow and Tank came trotting in from the sun room, just as there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Shikaku said, getting up from the couch, and going to open the door. "What brings you by?"

Having been facing away from the door, Sakura heard a familiar voice respond to Shikaku, then she turned her head to confirm who it was. Seeing the familiar face of her best friend's cousin, Sakura sighed with disappointment. "Oh, it's you."

"Well it's so nice to see you too," Neji replied, smirking, as he walked over towards the couch she was on. Stopping nearby her, and moving to pet Shadow and Tank who were insisting that they get attention. "Hinata said you need someone to look after you."

"Wow, she just said she didn't have time to babysit me, so she sent a replacement babysitter instead," Sakura said, then she scoffed. "I feel so honored to have her as a best friend."

Taking no time to hesitate, Neji smirked back at her. "Well you should. I wouldn't want that job even if someone paid me."

That didn't faze Sakura, as she smiled with a little sass back at him. "Don't be jealous Neji; it doesn't look good on you."

"Tch," Neji rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms. "Here I thought that this job of coming to babysit you would be you asleep all day, and me not having to deal with you. Of course, you're awake, and probably not planning to sleep."

"Well I was, but since you're here, I think I'll rally," was Sakura's sarcastic toned reply, as she smiled back at him. Her smile broke when she yawned, and her attention went back to Baby on her chest. "Anyways, you don't really need to be here in the first place. You babysitting me is unnecessary."

"You're mother doesn't think it's unnecessary-"

"Oh of-freaking-course!" Sakura exclaimed interrupting, as she moved to push herself sitting up. Baby having jumped off her chest to go to the coffee table to sit. She moved to push herself up from the couch. "I don't know why I'm surprised to find out that my mother is behind this."

"You're supposed to be resting," Shikamaru told her at her standing up.

Pausing to look at Shikamaru, Sakura motioned to Neji on her other side. "My mother has sent me a babysitter, and I can't just ignore him. That's apparently rude."

"Sakura," Neji spoke, shaking his head, and rolling his eyes.

Ignoring Neji, Sakura clapped her hands together, and smiled big. "Because it's Neji that could only mean one thing."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

Neji apparently already knew what Sakura's answer was, as he held a look of disagreement on his face. "Sakura, no-"

"Time for day-drinking," Sakura interrupted, smiling happily, as she moved over to grab her shoes from the floor.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Shikamaru told her, watching her struggle to catch her balance, as she put her shoes on.

"Yeah well I didn't ask you."

Neji reached over to steady Sakura, as his look of disapproval increased. "I don't think it's a great idea either."

Barking out a laugh, Sakura moved to put on her other shoe. "That's really funny Neji."

Shaking his head, Neji uncrossed his arms. "I'm not going to encourage your alcoholic behavior."

"Then why else are you here?" Sakura countered quickly, as she finished putting on her shoe. Straightening up, she stared back at him.

Neji frowned at her serious look. "Do you honestly believe that is the only reason why I'm here?"

Blinking slowly, Sakura was quiet for a moment. "Is that a trick question?"

Staring back at Sakura in silence, finally Neji stepped closer to her, and leaned down slightly to get on eye level with her. "If your mother finds out that instead of making sure you stay home and heal, you go out and drink, she's going to kill me."

Leaning closer to him, Sakura smirked. "You should just do what I do. She's not going to be happy with whatever I do, so I might as well go ahead and do whatever I want anyway. She'll be mad at me either way."

"That doesn't make any sense-"

"That's because you always do what your told, and even when you don't people still look at you like your a god," Sakura shot back, laughing with a slight bitter tone. "When I do that, I get scolded and lectured."

"That's not true-"

"Lying doesn't look good on you either," Sakura interrupted him, a sweet smile back on her face as she grabbed her bag from the floor. "Now lets go."

Staring back at Sakura for a long moment, Neji frowned, and crossed his arms again. "We're not going."

 **An hour later**

"Take your medicine."

"Mind your own business." Was the reply Sakura gave Neji, as she walked past him into the Nara house. Greeted by Shadow and Tank, she knelt down carefully to pet them both.

Rolling his eyes, Neji shut the front door, and crossed his arms. Giving a nod to Shikaku and Yoshino who were in the kitchen, and Shikamaru who was leaning back on one of the couches. His eyes went down to Sakura. "Take your medicine Sakura."

Stopping petting Shadow and Tank, Sakura straightened up carefully, and moved to open the bag that had been hanging off her arm. Pulling out a tequila bottle that had clearly been already opened, she took a drink from it. "I don't know Neji, I'm almost a hundred percent positive that I'm not supposed to drink alcohol and take that medicine together."

"Okay one, you've been drinking out of that tequila bottle regularly over the hour we were gone. So you're show of taking a sip now was pointless," Neji shot back, a serious expression on his face. "Two, Hinata has informed me of all the medications you are taking, and I know what you should and should not have with them. So finally three, even if I didn't know this, you're not stupid. You very well know that the medicine from this morning is still in your system, and you wouldn't be drinking if you knew that it would be a problem."

Sakura's look turned into a sour one, as she growled lowly. "Damn it. I knew that I should have asked for the better drugs… I should have known better. Healthy herbal medicine my ass." While that had the others laughing, Sakura sighed, and frowned at Neji. "I don't know what happened. You used to be so nice to me… Most of the time."

"I don't know," Neji replied, leaning closer to her face. "You used to not be so stupid, and would take care of yourself… Most of the time." Having to dodge Sakura's fist, Neji moved over to the counter. Sakura's pill bottles where she left them this morning. Grabbing them both, he held them out to Sakura. "I'm waiting."

"You're annoying," Sakura shot back after a moment of silence. Setting her bottle of tequila down on the counter, she grabbed the pill bottles, and got out the necessary amount of pills. Taking them down with a little bit of water from her water cup near by. Finished up, she grabbed her tequila bottle, and crossed the living room to go to the sun room. Her dogs at her feet, and Baby not far behind.

"Are you planning on getting a glass?" Shikamaru asked her as she passed him.

Sakura hardly looked Shikamaru's way, as she took a swig from the bottle. "What's the point if I'm drinking the whole bottle today?"

The pink haired woman then walked into the sunroom, leaving them all in silence. Neji finally sighed, closed his eyes, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This is just what I wanted to be doing today."

 **A couple hours later**

The sound of Sakura rambling on about something was what Shikamaru heard as he walked into the sunroom. His eyes first going to Neji, who was seated in one of the arm chairs. Reading something. Shadow and Tank were on the floor, and not far away from them was Sakura. Laying on her back, with her feet up on the couch. Her arms spread out, and one of her hands moved slowly to pet Baby. She was talking about something he didn't quite understand, but from what he gathered it probably wouldn't make sense even if he knew what she was talking about.

Neji noticed Shikamaru walk in, and his eyes moved over to Shikamaru after a minute of silence. Knowing Sakura wasn't paying attention, he didn't hold back on what was on his mind. "She's at the point of sleep I think, I'm just hoping it's within the next ten minutes, or I'll end up smothering her."

That had Shikamaru smirking, as he shook his head. After a moment of watching Sakura ramble on, his eyes went to Neji. "It's nice of you to come over here to be here for her." He moved over to sit in one of the other arm chairs. "I mean after yesterday, then this morning, I highly doubt I could get her to be cooperative."

Neji chuckled slightly. "Well it isn't as easy as it seems. I just have had to put up with her for several years now, and I have practice. Dealing with her is pretty easy now. You'll get there," he said, before smirking. "From what Hinata told me, you did a good enough job this morning."

"After the past few weeks, along with everything she has told me, it didn't really take much for me to come up with a plan to make sure she had no excuses not to relax," Shikamaru said, then he was the one chuckling. "However, I did have to threaten to tell Tsunade to get her to actually take her medicine."

"Don't worry, if you stick around her long enough, you'll get to a point where you won't have to threaten it. With Hinata and I, she knows that we will inform Tsunade without us having to actually say it," Neji replied, smirking then. "But, I have to say the excuses she'll come up with won't be stopping anytime soon. She'll reach for anything to use."

"Good to know-"

"Hey!" Sakura's exclamation interrupted Shikamaru, as her eyes were on him and Neji. A drunken smile stretched across her face. "When did you get here?"

Studying Sakura, her big smile and red cheeks, made Shikamaru smile with amusement. "About three minutes ago."

"No, I don't think so," Sakura started back, rubbing her nose slightly where she felt it tickling. "I would have remembered that."

"I don't think you'd remember anything at this point," Shikamaru replied, his smile widening as he shook his head at how that made her laugh for some reason.

Neji wasn't as amused by Sakura's laughter, as he closed his book and stood up. "Alright Sakura, I think it's time you go take a nap."

"But I'm- I'm not tired," was Sakura's reply, as Neji had taken one of her hands to get her to sit up. "I didn't even finish my tequila."

"Yes you did Sakura," Neji replied, smirking as he pointed out the empty tequila bottle on the table. "About half an hour ago."

That news seemed to completely surprise Sakura, as her eyes went wide. "What? It disappeared?"

"Oh lord," Neji sighed, shaking his head, as he moved to pull Sakura to standing up. When she started to fight him, he squeezed her hand a bit to make her stand still. "I'd really appreciate if you'd cooperate so you don't do something stupid like tear your stitches."

Sakura gained a serious look on her face, as she waived Neji's words off. "Neji, I'm not even stupid."

Sighing once again, Neji's eyes went to Shikamaru. "Where's her room?"

Standing up from the arm chair, Shikamaru stuck his hands into his pockets "I'll show you." As they left they left the sunroom, he smirked when he heard Sakura stumbling behind him, and Neji's calm footsteps. Once in Sakura's room, he flipped on the lights, and moved to her bed. He pulled back the covers, and made sure to avoid where Baby had jumped on the bed. Without much thought, he scratched her head a bit, as his eyes went to Sakura.

The pink haired woman had moved just at that moment to fall back onto her bed. Slightly startling her cat, but Baby adjusted more so she was on the pillows. Sakura pulled the covers back on her just in time for Shadow and Tank to jump on the bed and plop down. Her eyes met Shikamaru's, and she smiled at him. "Thank you for loving my furbabies today."

A smile flared up on Shikamaru's face, as he crossed his arms. "I apparently don't have a choice remember?"

"That's right,"Sakura agreed as she yawned and closed her eyes. She was quiet for a moment, then she turned over on her left side. One arm going around Shadow. "I'm not even that tired..."

Sakura had trailed back off into silence, and finally it became apparent that she had fell asleep. Neji was the first to break the silence, and whisper finally. Both he and Shikamaru moved to walk out of the room. Once out in the hall, he looked at his watch. "I could probably go ahead and leave. She'll be out for a few hours, and I'm sure Hinata will be stopping by once she wakes up. Of course I can already see Hinata thinking I abandoned Sakura, and she'll be less than pleased with me… No offense by the way. I'm sure at one point you'll be able to take care of Sakura when she's like this all on your own, but she can be a handful when you don't have the experience."

"No offense taken," Shikamaru replied with a chuckle. They had reached the living room. Both his parents were out, and the house was quiet. Looking over to Neji, he motioned to the small table he and his dad liked to play shogi on. "If you want to stick around, we can pass the time, and play a game or two."

Nodding after a moment, Neji moved towards one side of the table. "Sounds good to me."

 **A couple hours past midnight**

Feeling a twinge of pain in her side was what woke Sakura up about half an hour ago. Since then she had been increasingly uncomfortable in her side, and her head was throbbing with a headache. Hearing her dogs snoring only irritated her more, as she wished she could join them. She thought about taking some medicine, but for the life of her she couldn't remember when she took her last dose.

Finally after another moment, she decided to get up. She tried to maneuver around Shadow, but she woke him up anyways. "Sorry baby," she apologized, as she stroked his head for a moment. Reaching to the floor she picked up her shorts, and moved to slip them on under her loose t-shirt. Feeling pain in her side had her pausing, but after a moment she pushed through and pulled her shorts the rest of the way on. Grabbing her pill bottles from her bed, she left her room.

Padding down the hall to the next door down to her right, she opened the door slowly, and stepped into the dark room. The curtains pulled over the window made it even harder to see, but having been in the room before she had a somewhat good idea of where she was going. When her knees hit the side of a bed, she moved to sit down on it. Leaning over a bit, she hesitated for a moment. "Shikamaru?"

It took a few more times of having to say his name for him to finally wake up. He was actually rather startled, as it was dark in the room. But, once his eyes adjusted a bit more, he found himself looking at Sakura, then his clock, then back to her. "What are you doing? It's not even two-thirty in the morning."

"I'm bored," was Sakura's calm reply. Her legs were crossed, and she was having to sit up a bit straighter due to her abdomen throbbing.

Staring at her in silence for a long moment, Shikamaru rubbed his face. "So because you're bored, you woke me up to what? Entertain you?"

"Well, I mean what else was I supposed to do Shikamaru?" Sakura countered, as if this was the most obvious thing to do.

Sighing heavily at her words, Shikamaru closed his eyes, and let his head fall back on his pillows. "You're ridiculous."

"Thank you," Sakura said, nodding her head once. They sat there in silence for a moment, then she remembered something. "Oh yeah, my side really hurts, and so does my head. When was the last time I took my medicine?"

Pushing himself to sitting up now, Shikamaru turned more towards her. "You should have started with that when you first woke me up."

"I didn't think about it," Sakura replied, then she lifted up her hand with her pill bottles and shook them. "Anyway, I'd really like you to tell me when the last time I took my medicine was, because this pain is helping in preventing me from sleeping."

Sighing, Shikamaru reached over to his bedside table, grabbed a glass of water he had brought to bed with him, and held it out to her. "You can take some now. It's been about six hours since you last took some."

"Thank god," Sakura said, popping the lids off her pill bottles. She took her dose of pills out, and practically slapped them into her mouth. Taking the glass of water Shikamaru offered, she took a few sips to get the pills down, then handed the glass back to him. "These need to start working as soon as possible."

Shikamaru watched Sakura screw the caps back on her pill bottles, then put them on the bedside table on the other side of the bed than him. "That's the first time you've taken your medicine voluntarily."

"Yeah, well I actually needed it this time," Sakura said, as she moved to slip her legs under the covers. When she heard the footsteps of Shadow and Tank coming into the bed, she patted the bed. "Come on boys."

"No-" Shikamaru stopped when the dogs did jump on the bed. Making themselves comfortable at the foot of it. Looking over to Sakura, he frowned. "Thanks."

"What else was I supposed to do? Make them sleep on the floor?" Sakura countered him. Moving to adjust the pillows behind her at a slight angle, she laid back on them, and wiggled a bit to get comfortable.

Watching her get comfortable, Shikamaru sighed after a moment. "This is my bed, you know that right?"

"You're supposed to be entertaining me, you know that right?" Sakura shot back, a smile on her face.

Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru shook his head. "Right… You were unnecessarily drunk most of the day."

"I don't recall."

"Shocker," Shikamaru said, laughing at the thought of her drunk. "You put Neji through hell."

"Neji can handle it," Sakura replied before laughing herself. "I've conditioned Hinata and Neji to handle my crazy… You, on the other hand, are a work in process."

Shikamaru joined in with Sakura's laughter. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"It can be good for now, unless this training goes horribly wrong," Sakura said, shaking her head, as she laughed again. "If that is the case, then I'm not taking credit for teaching you."

"That's okay, I'd probably learn better from Hinata or Neji anyways," Shikamaru replied back through his laughter, and he had to dodge her trying to hit him. When his laughter died down, he sighed. "Am I going to have to expect this from you tomorrow?"

"Expect what?"

"You resisting taking your medicine, then you having to result to getting drunk in the middle of the day."

Shrugging at first, Sakura yawned, and closed her eyes. "I'll decide tomorrow morning. You'll just get to be surprised."

It was quiet for a moment, then Shikamaru spoke up again. "Why can't you sleep?"

Without opening her eyes, Sakura turned her head towards Shikamaru. "Who said I couldn't sleep?"

"It's almost two-thirty in the morning, and you're awake and apparently bored." Shikamaru replied.

"Well," Sakura started, as she yawned again. "I woke up, and apparently however I was sleeping was irritating my injury, because it hurt. I tried to get comfortable again to go back to sleep after that, but it wasn't working. So I got up and came over here- Oh and my head is pounding, but that's due to my day drinking."

Humming in response, Shikamaru was quiet again for a couple minutes this time. "Well I guess that's a good enough reason to not be asleep. But coming over here and waking me up? No, that needs a better reason." When nothing was said after a minute, he focused more on Sakura, and realized she had fallen asleep. Watching her for a moment, he finally laid back down himself, and turned on his side to face her. Once again he watched her, this time he reached over and pushed her bangs out of her face. After another moment, he turned over so he was on his other side, and closed his eyes.

 **A couple days later, 2nd of June**

"See I'm all better," was the first thing Sakura said, after doing a flip over one of the couches to prove to Shikamaru that he could stop bothering her about her injuries. However, as soon as she turned away from him, she brought a hand to her side. "Ow."

"I heard that," Shikamaru pointed out. Having been slightly alarmed at her suddenly doing a flip like that, but he had to admit that she was better. She just wasn't a hundred percent yet.

"Bite me," Sakura shot back, then proceeded to stick out her tongue at him. Walking past Shikamaru, she moved to the open front door. All of their work stuff was out on the front porch, as they decided to do work outside today. "I still don't want to hear anything else about my injuries, are we clear?"

"We'll see," was Shikamaru's reply, chuckling as he watched her walk outside. Hearing her talking to her dogs, had him smirking.

"Hm," was his mother's hum from where she was currently drying off a plate to put in the cabinet. "She's feeling better."

Shikamaru shrugged, as he walked to the refrigerator to grab a couple water bottles. "Yeah, after two days of being forced to relax, I'm sure she's managed to heal up a little bit."

Laughing at her son's words, Yoshino put up the plate she was working on, and reached over for her glass of iced tea. "It was nice of you to spend so much time with her over the past couple days to make sure she was relaxing. You missed training and everything."

"Well," Shikamaru started, as he paused by the counters. "It's not that big of a deal. I voluntarily skip training all the time. Plus, it was a lot more work to take care of her than I signed up for… But I guess it wasn't completely terrible."

Smiling at her son's words, she moved to grab some pots and pans out of one of the lower cabinets. "I'm going to start on dinner, you better go out there and get that paperwork done if you and Sakura plan on eating with us tonight."

"We don't even have that much more to do," was Shikamaru's reply, as he moved to go out on the front porch. Having to step over Baby, who was laying in the open doorway.

Yoshino watched her son through the windows. She watched him go over to Sakura, and hold out one of the water bottles he grabbed. She smiled when she heard Sakura thanking her son for bringing her water, and she laughed when she heard her son telling Sakura to not make a big deal about it, and that she was acting as if it was some grand gesture. Shaking her head, her smile remained on her face, as she turned to grab some chicken out of the freezer for dinner.

 **Outside, a half hour later**

Having started back to work, Sakura and Shikamaru got most of the paperwork done. Confirming people they were hiring for the event, and it was things like contracts and lists of things the people would be responsible for during the party and the festival. They had been pretty focused on work, apart from the small breaks of eating Sakura's bag of sour gummy worms.

"Looks like we're out," Sakura said, as she looked at her empty bag. A slight smile on her face. "Looks like you like these more than you said you did."

"Yeah, I guess they weren't that bad," Shikamaru shrugged, a smirk appearing on his face. "Your candy addiction is ridiculous. You are ridiculous."

That had Sakura laughing. "You say that to me a lot, but I'm still not finding out why it's a bad thing."

"Of course not," Shikamaru said, joining in with her laughter. When their laughter died down, he looked towards the front door. The door was still cracked open for the dogs and Baby to go in and out. Through the windows he could see his mom was still working on dinner, and his dad was sitting at the bar after he had returned home from working with council. His eyes went back to Sakura. "Let's go get some more."

Raising an eyebrow at Shikamaru's suggestion, Sakura moved to sitting up from where she had been laying on her stomach. Shadow and Tank had both been alerted to her movement, but they rested their heads back down. "We still have a good bit of paperwork to do."

Glancing back to his parents through the window, Shikamaru smirked when he looked back to Sakura. "Well I know my mom's still got another half hour to marinate the chicken, and it'll probably be another hour on top of that before dinner is done. We have time to take a little break."

It was quiet for a moment, before Sakura smiled. "Even if we didn't have time, you'd probably still be all for taking a break."

"You know me so well," was Shikamaru's reply, as he reached out a hand to her. "Come on."

"Stay here boys," Sakura told Shadow and Tank, then she took Shikamaru's hand, a smile on her face.

Inside the house over by the kitchen, Yoshino was cutting up some vegetables to roast in the oven. Her eyes went over to the windows to look out on the front porch. Focusing in on her son and Sakura, who were standing up.

"So," her husband's voice hit her ears, as he walked over from having just came out of the hall their bedroom was off of, that was just near the kitchen. He leaned against the counter top slightly, his eyes also over on the windows. "Are you going to stop them from leaving? Because it sounds to me they probably won't be back in time to finish all that work before dinner."

It was quiet for a moment, then Yoshino smiled and shook her head. "No. It's a nice day, and they did get some work done. More than I thought they would-" She broke off at the sound of Sakura's laughter. Shikamaru telling her something about not being good at sneaking off. Which of course Sakura argued back that she was to good at it.

Shikamaru's dad studied his son and that pink haired woman. A smirk on his face at how he heard his son and Sakura laugh, as they walked down the front walkway. "She's something else that's for sure."

 **A little over half an hour later**

Sitting down on the grassy hilltop, Sakura laughed after a moment. "Okay, so when did going to get more candy turn into an adventure?"

"You like adventures, remember?" Was Shikamaru's reply, as he sat down next to her. Eying the view of his spot. The pond was lower than usual, as it hadn't rained in a while. But the view was still just as he liked it. "Besides, I figured my parents are aware that we left, as your loudmouth probably got their attention as we were leaving."

"I keep telling you that I wasn't that loud-"

"You wouldn't stop laughing, and it had your dogs barking from the porch," Shikamaru interrupted, a smirk on his face, as his eyes met hers. "I'm pretty sure I made eye contact with my mom trying to drag you away from the porch."

That had a grin growing on Sakura's face, as she reached into the new bag of sour gummy worms. "I can't help it. I feel like whenever I have to be serious, my brain makes me do the opposite."

"Remind me never to cross a volcano with you."

"Why would we ever have to cross a volcano?"

That had Shikamaru laughing, as he reached over to take a gummy worm out of the bag. "It was just the first thing that popped into my head."

"Right," Sakura said, laughing along with him. When her laughter stopped, she bit into her gummy worm, and watched him do the same to his. "I'm turning you into a candy addict."

Smirking after he ate the gummy worm, Shikamaru rested his hands back on the grass behind him to relax. "I can't wait until I attend the first meeting of the candy addict anonymous group. You're probably a seasoned member just like for alcoholics anonymous."

"Shikamaru!" Sakura exclaimed, lightly hitting his shoulder, but she laughed at it. "I am not an alcoholic! No matter how much Ino makes me sound like one."

Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru's smirk grew. "I hate to break it to you, but you've proven it yourself over the past few weeks. Ino has nothing to do with this one. If you don't believe me, let me just remind you of someone who was completely drunk in the middle of the day a couple days ago."

Sakura was quiet for a long moment, then she finally grinned and moved to lie back on the grass. "So what if I like to drink every once in a while? That doesn't mean I'm an alcoholic."

"Sure it doesn't," Shikamaru said while chuckling. After a moment he found himself observing her again. Her eyes were closed, and she was enjoying her candy. His eyes went back forward, and down towards the bottom of the hill by the pond. Thinking about how they met up there a month ago today. A smile appeared back on his face, as he thought about the conversation they had. "You know, you're making yourself awfully comfortable for being a guest here."

Laughing at him bringing that up, Sakura found herself thinking back to the last time they were here. Her eyes met his when he turned his head to look at her. "Aw, you remembered that you upgraded me from being a trespasser. I'm touched."

That had them both laughing. When their laughter died down, Shikamaru took a gummy worm, and lied back on the grass next to Sakura. Staring up at the clear blue sky with a smile on his face.

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it everyone! Another chapter in the books. I was really pleased with the last scene, but I think my favorite was when Neji came over to keep an eye on Sakura. What was your favorite scene?**

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	11. Nara Clan Brunch

_Review:_

 _Laughing at him bringing that up, Sakura found herself thinking back to the last time they were here. Her eyes met his when he turned his head to look at her. "Aw, you remembered that you upgraded me from being a trespasser. I'm touched."_

 _That had them both laughing. When their laughter died down, Shikamaru took a gummy worm, and lied back on the grass next to Sakura. Staring up at the clear blue sky with a smile on his face._

* * *

 **A few days later, the 6th of June**

Sakura eyes were focused out the window of the dining room, and up at the sky. They had just finished eating breakfast, and she was sipping her coffee and letting her mind wander. They hadn't had rain in weeks, and there was no clouds in the sky. They had plans to work outside today, but with how the sun was beating down with no clouds in sight, it looked like it'd be dreadfully miserable out there.

"So you'll just have to tell the Hokage that the council meeting can't run that long that morning Shikaku. This clan brunch is important."

"I will try my best Yoshino, but I don't have that much control over how long the meeting will be. I will be here before the brunch starts, I can promise that much. Besides, Sakura and Shikamaru will be here helping you get ready for the brunch, as they don't have to attend this meeting-"

"I'm sorry, what?" Sakura interrupted Shikaku, as her focus went back to the conversation. Her eyes leaving the window to look over to the others, more specifically Shikamaru's parents. "What brunch is this?"

After Sakura's question, it got quiet, as Yoshino paused in having been gathering their dishes from breakfast. Her eyes sliding over with a dark looking glare at her son. "You didn't tell her yet?"

Feeling fear in the back of his mind at the glare his mother was giving him, Shikamaru tried to play it off, as he reached over to take the dishes his mom had been collecting, and he offered her a smile. Then his eyes went to Sakura. "Did I forget to mention that there is a clan brunch we have to do tomorrow?"

Staring at Shikamaru in silence for a long moment, Sakura finally lifted her hand, and smacked him on the shoulder.

"Ow." Shikamaru rubbed the part of his shoulder where she had hit him, and glared at her. "Why did you-"

"Did you seriously wait until the day before to tell me?" Sakura interrupted him, glaring at him. "Thanks a lot Shikamaru. Do you know how difficult it is for me to have to choose an outfit for this? Thank you for being considerate to that fact, and waiting until the day before to tell me!"

At her irritation, Shikamaru was taken aback before he actually smirked. "You are mad because I didn't give you enough time to go shopping?"

"You are damn right I'm mad," Sakura said, moving to get up from the table, as she went to leave the dining room. Picking up on the sound of Shikamaru following shortly after her. "Now I'm going to have to go find Hinata, make her stop what she's doing, and then come with me. This is all your fault."

Keeping his smirk on his face, Shikamaru placed the dishes in the sink, as he watched Sakura go and put her shoes on by the door. "Are you really mad? Because it seems to me that you're getting an excuse to go shopping. With your best friend. So it doesn't seem like you should be mad."

"I'm interrupting Hinata's day Shikamaru," Sakura told him, although she paused briefly as she shook her head. "Actually, I don't really care that I'm interrupting her day because I do that all the time, but that's not the point. You just don't understand."

Still clearly amused with her complaint, Shikamaru shook his head. "Most girls like shopping. Ino likes to shop-"

"Does it look like I have long blonde hair, and attitude that could kill?" Sakura countered, an eyebrow raised at him.

"I guess that's true," Shikamaru said, then his smirk returned to his face. "Now that attitude though- hey!" He had to dodge the shoe she threw at him, and he laughed when it hit the refrigerator with a loud thud. He picked the shoe up and tossed it back to Sakura, but it hit the front door and rattled the glass.

"Shikamaru!" Yoshino exclaimed, her eyes wide as she and her husband exited the dining room. "Do not throw things in this house! You could have broke that door."

With his eyes wide with disbelief, Shikamaru pointed to Sakura. "In my defense; she threw it at me first."

"Tch," Sakura started, as she had slipped on the shoe. Her arms crossed, and shaking her head at Shikamaru. "How are you going to try and bring me into this? I'm just trying to leave to go shopping for the brunch that I didn't know I was supposed to go to until about five minutes ago, and you're over there throwing shoes at me."

"Oh geez," Shikamaru started, as he slapped a hand to his forehead. He knew that tone of hers, and he knew she was using her evil mastermind side now. "Do you really think I would go all the way over there and take your shoe, bring it back here, then throw it at you?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Sakura hummed. "I know, you certainly surprised me with all that effort you put in doing that. You probably need to take a nap now to compensate for all that effort."

"I'm starting to see why Sora calls you a brat," Shikamaru countered, as he grew a smirk back on his face when he noticed her sticking out her tongue at him. "Like I was saying earlier, you should be happy to go shopping."

"That's not even the point Shikamaru." Was Sakura's reply, as she grabbed her bag and turned to open the door after giving Shadow and Tank some last minute love.

"You can get out of working this morning to go shopping," Shikamaru pointed out to her. "That's a bonus."

Sakura moved to walk outside then. "Not the point!"

Then the door shut, and Shikamaru chuckled. Shaking his head at how much work Sakura could be, but instead of feeling annoyed; he smiled. Reaching his hand over to his mother who was reaching for the dishes in the sink, his eyes met hers. "Don't worry mom, I'll do them."

"Alright then," Yoshino said, filling up her coffee mug again before going to sit on one of the couches. Shadow had went over to her to lay by her feet once he could no longer see Sakura in front of the house. Lately whenever Sakura would leave the house, Shadow usually followed Yoshino around until Sakura would return. Yoshino looked up from Shadow to look over to her son. "You really should have told her. You've known about this for three days."

"Well between making up for some of the party stuff we had to skip when she was recovering, then me being forced to- I mean with me having to go train the past couple days, I haven't had time," Shikamaru replied, then he chuckled again. Going to put more of the dishes into the dishwasher. "On the plus side, it was pretty funny seeing her get so irritated with me."

"Her throwing her shoe at you doesn't seem like something you should be laughing at son," Shikaku started, as he had begun to set up a shogi game on the small table in the room where they usually played shogi. "It only takes a matter of time for that shoe to turn into something like a lamp or a chair. Or worse, she'll come after you herself."

It got quiet for a moment as Yoshino had turned her head to look at her husband. "That was one time, but you really made me angry."

"Which is why I try to stay on your good side now," Shikaku replied laughing.

Shikamaru watched his mom smile, and he shook his head. "You two are crazy… It wasn't that big of a deal. But it was worth the laugh."

Seeing Shikamaru smiling had made Yoshino's smile widen, and finally she shook her head and picked up her book from the coffee table. Not having to look at her husband to see a smirk on his face.

 **A few hours later**

Walking inside the Nara house, Sakura was greeted by Shadow and Tank almost immediately. She set her shopping bags to the floor, then less neatly dropped her bag to the floor.

Shikamaru, who had been home alone since his parents had gone out to go over to one of his relatives house, had looked over to Sakura when she had come in. A smile was already growing on his face. "So how was..." He trailed off, an eyebrow raised at her harshly dropping her shoes to the floor. "You know, you seem a little hostile-"

"Stop talking," Sakura interrupted him, finishing loving on her dogs, she moved over to the couch he was on. Turning, she fell over the arm of the couch to lay down on the couch. Her head just shy of touching his thigh. Sighing heavily after a moment, she closed her eyes. Shadow was quick to jump up on the couch to lay next to her. Tank, not wanting to be left out, did the same, but ended up laying more on top of her. Baby just looked down on them from where she was perched on the top of the back of the couch.

Shikamaru's eyes were focusing down on Sakura's face, as he kept on smirking. "You're being awfully dramatic too."

"I spent almost five hours shopping. Five hours! Do you realize how miserable I have been over those almost five hours?" Was what Sakura countered with, her eyes remained closed, as she continued on. "I don't like shopping unless I want to go shopping, which is hardly ever. Today, I did not want to go shopping. I was completely miserable. Even Hinata couldn't make me feel better. Thank you so much for ruining my day."

"You're welcome," Shikamaru teased, laughing when she moved to smack his leg, and he just caught her hand. "That would have hurt."

"That's the point," Sakura replied, sighing heavily, as she dropped her hand from his so it was resting on Tank who was now laying more to her other side than completely on top of her. "I just want to sleep forever."

After a moment of silence, Shikamaru's smirk transitioned into more of a smile. Reaching over to her after a moment, he pushed some of her bangs back from her face. Tucking them back behind her ear. However, even after he had them smoothed down and out of her face, he continued on stroking her hair. She didn't say anything to stop him either.

 **Around midnight**

Hinata leaned slightly back against the pillows behind her. Her eyes focusing on her wine glass in her hand. "You know, this afternoon was when my team was preparing for the mission we are supposed to go on tomorrow. It's only supposed to be a couple days, but we still needed to prepare apparently… I didn't go of course, as you very well know since I was with you shopping, then I went home and took a nap. Then I came over here to drink with you, my best friend."

"Well," Hinata's pink haired best friend started up, her voice traveling upwards to the couch from where she was underneath the Nara's coffee table in the living room. The Nara's had long since gone to bed, and it was just her and Hinata now. Shadow was partially under the coffee table with her, and Tank was on the other side. "I hate to break it to you, but it is a little bit late to feel bad about not going to train. It's after midnight."

"Who said I felt bad? I enjoy dragging you around shopping," Hinata spoke sarcastically, taking a sip of her wine glass, as her other hand stroked Baby's fur. The cat was perched on her lap. "Almost as much as I like to pointlessly prepare for a mission that a genin fresh out of the academy could do."

Laughing at Hinata's sarcastic tone, Sakura lifted her head up from the ground so she could sip her wine. Her eyes were focusing in on the inner edge of the coffee table. She noticed there was writing carved on the wood. Reaching up to run her finger across the writing, she found herself smiling when she found it to be Shikamaru's name.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Jumping slightly at Hinata's question, Sakura focused on downing the rest of her wine glass to hide the smile. When she finished it, she sighed heavily. "Because it's a free land, and I can do whatever I want to."

"Yeah, but why smile like that?" Hinata questioned, and when she didn't get an answer, she frowned. "You're annoying when you do that."

"Do what?"

"When you don't tell me what you're thinking."

"Shouldn't you already be able to tell what I'm thinking?" Sakura countered, as she moved out from under the table to sit up. Reaching to grab the bottle of Merlot from the coffee table. "I mean what's the point of being best friends if you suck at it."

Rolling her eyes at Sakura phrasing it that way, Hinata reached forward, and took the bottle before Sakura could pour it. "Ha ha, you're real funny. You know that out of everyone, I know you best," she started, as she filled up her own glass, but kept hold on the wine bottle. Her eyes meeting Sakura's. "Which is why it's so annoying that even I can't figure out what's going through your mind."

Noticing Hinata's look grow to one of expectation for Sakura to tell her the truth, Sakura finally reached forward, and took back the wine bottle. "I'm too sober to talk about it. Maybe if we both drink enough, I'll spill."

"Well if we get to that point, I might not remember," Hinata pointed out.

Finishing filling her glass, Sakura set the bottle back on the coffee table, as she brought the glass to her lips. Pausing to meet Hinata's eyes. "Exactly."

 **The next morning**

Strolling into the living room, Sakura groaned at Shadow and Tank's high energy and their loud barking. Rubbing her face, she made it to the door, and opened it just in time for the two dogs to bolt past her outside. Just looking outside made her head throb more than it already did.

Turning, she walked to the coffee maker, and poured herself some coffee. After stirring in some creamer, she went to close the door after the dogs came back in. Blinking away at the light outside, she turned, and crossed the living room to go into the dining room. She had heard Yoshino and Shikaku chatting, and like she expected Shikamaru was at the table trying his best not to get into the conversation.

When she did actually step into the dining room, the conversation paused. Baby was already curled up on her chair, but Sakura wasn't in the mood to play who gets more room on the chair. Picking her cat up with her free hand, she put her in another chair, then she sat down.

Yoshino was the first to offer Sakura a smile. "Good morning dear."

"Morning," Sakura greeted, following with a long tired sigh, as she rested her head on her hand."

Shikaku took a sip of his coffee mug, and pushed his chair back from the table. "I'm going to go brew another pot of coffee," he said to his wife, his eyes moving to Sakura, then back to his wife with a smile. "She might need a cup or two more."

Knowing very well that she was the "she" Shikaku had been referring to, Sakura lifted her head back up. "Thank you."

Once Shikaku had left the room, Shikamaru turned to Sakura, a grin on his face. "I would say good morning, but you're hungover so you might punch me when I say it… So how's your hangover?"

"I hate you." Was Sakura's only reply, as she reached over to take her coffee.

"You brought this upon yourself, so I'm not going to apologize," Shikamaru replied, still clearly amused.

Yoshino waved her hand at her son. "Oh just leave her alone Shikamaru. Let her get a chance to put a little coffee in her system before you start bothering her."

"Thanks… I think." Sakura replied, making Shikamaru and Yoshino laugh.

Twenty minutes went by before they finally were finishing up breakfast. Shikaku had left already to go meet with the council.

"So why is it called a brunch if we're having it at one in the afternoon?" Shikamaru questioned his mother, finishing off his coffee.

Yoshino sighed at her sons question, as it was not the first time she had told him this. "Just because it was originally planned to be earlier on in the day, but with how busy we've been we decided to push it back a couple hours."

Getting the sense that this was not the first time he asked his mom this question, Shikamaru just nodded. "Right," he said, his eyes going to Sakura then. She had lightened up a little with some coffee in her system, but was still a little grumpy. His eyes looked her up and down, she was dressed in shorts, a very loose quarter sleeved shirt, and her hair was up in a messy bun. A very messy looking bun. "So… is that what you're wearing to the brunch?"

Shikamaru's question had Sakura stop from tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair. Her eyes darkened as she slowly looked over to him. "What do you think genius?"

"Ouch," Shikamaru started, although his smirk didn't falter from his face. "That was a little hostile Sakura. Do I need to bring you another cup of coffee?"

"No, I don't need another cup of coffee," Sakura shot back irritably. "I need you to stop bothering me."

"I'm not even bothering you Sakura," Shikamaru replied, as he propped his elbow on the arm of his chair. He was still smirking away at her. "I just asked a simple question-"

"So what if this is what I plan to wear? Is that a problem?" Sakura interrupted him sharply.

That had the smirk dropping off Shikamaru's face, as he looked at her silent for a moment. Finally he whistled, and shook his head. "You did not just go there."

Standing up from the table, Sakura grabbed the dishes from the table, and paused to lean closer to Shikamaru's face. "Oh yes I just did."

As Sakura left the dining room, Yoshino was laughing, and Shikamaru just smirking. Sakura herself finally smiled for the first time that morning.

 **Around an hour and a half later**

Having just bought some groceries for the brunch, Shikamaru and is mom walked back into their house. Yoshino having been giving a list of stuff she needed Shikamaru to do.

"Okay mom- What the?" Shikamaru exclaimed, as his eyes had gone over to the kitchen. Sakura was just opening the refrigerator, however she was only in a towel. Setting the groceries down on the bar counter, Shikamaru's face grew red. He slapped a hand over his eyes, and turned away. "Sakura!"

Looking over for a moment, Sakura went back to focusing on finding her bottle of tea from yesterday in the refrigerator. "What's his problem?" She asked his mom who had walked over to put the groceries down on the counter tops to start putting them away.

"Are you kidding me?" Shikamaru countered before his mom could speak. Turning back to Sakura, he still kept a hand over his face. "You are in a towel!"

Finding her bottle of tea, Sakura closed the door to the refrigerator, and turned to face Shikamaru. "Wow, and you could tell that with your eyes closed?"

That made his mom laugh. Clearly not bothered by Sakura in just a towel.

Shikamaru finally dropped his hand from his eyes, and kept his eyes focused on the ceiling. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't just walk around in a towel."

"And why not?" Sakura countered, taking a sip of her tea. "Your mom said to make myself at home when I agreed-no wait-when you agreed for me to move in here."

Yoshino, still holding a smile on her face, nodded. "That's true Shikamaru."

"Fine," Shikamaru said, but clearly still didn't agree with this. "But still, it may be acceptable to do that at your apartment, but you live in a house with other people now."

"I realize that," Sakura replied, sipping at her tea again. "But, it's not that big of a deal. I left my bathrobe at my apartment so I'm improvising with a towel."

"My friends could have been with me!"

"So what?" Sakura countered, an eyebrow raised. "I've been friends with Ino since we were kids. She's seen me in a towel- actually she's seen me naked several times over the years of our friendship. It's not like it'd bother her at this point."

"I have other friends that just Ino. Guy friends-"

"Shikamaru, you're making this into a completely over-dramatic big deal."

"My point is that there are other people that walk through this house. Men-"

Sakura laughed which interrupted Shikamaru. "Alright already, I can see that I'm making you increasingly uncomfortable by how red your face is getting."

"My face is not-"

"Relax," Sakura interrupted him again, then she grew a mischievous smile on her face. Stepping around the counter, she moved until she stopped directly in front of Shikamaru. Just as he had looked down from the ceiling. "For the record, I recognize that I am living with other people. Because when I'm alone at my apartment, I walk around naked."

While that had Sakura smiling smugly, as she moved to go walk back to her bedroom and change. Shikamaru's cheeks flushed red again. Yoshino only laughed at her son.

 **An hour later, a little before one**

Stepping out into the living room, Sakura smoothed the skirt of her dress down. Her eyes focusing down on the white fabric. Her dress had a high neckline, and was sleeveless. The hi-low skirt was a bit more flowy and light-weight to keep her cool. The back of it reached mid-calf, while the front of it reached to her knees. The back of the top half of the dress was sheer white lace, and there were a few lace patches in the front of the dress by her ribcage. She put her hair up in a neat bun, with a few stray strands around her face, and the rest of it was smoothed down with a gold headband. Matching her white and gold sandals.

Shikamaru, who had just walked in from setting up tables and chairs in the sun room, had froze when his eyes went to Sakura. Feeling that same warmness in his cheeks at the sight of her. He himself hadn't got dressed into the clothes he was going to wear for the brunch.

Sakura having not noticed Shikamaru's eyes on her, just continued pulling at her dress. "It is so damn hot today," she started, her eyes lifting first to see Yoshino and Shikaku, who were in the kitchen. They were both looking between herself and over by the sun room. Her eyes followed theirs to see Shikamaru looking at her. Although she waved off his look. "I know what you're thinking. This dress is ridiculous. I completely agree. But yesterday, Hinata told me that wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt was apparently not brunch material."

Breaking his eyes away from her finally, Shikamaru just chuckled, and rubbed the back of his neck. "That's not what I was going to say-"

The sounds of Shikamaru and Tank barking from the backyard interrupted Shikamaru.

"Dang," Sakura started, crossing the living room, and passing Shikamaru to walk into the sunroom. "I hope those two don't keep doing that once everyone gets here."

Shikamaru had turned around, and watched her walking away to go outside. Unknown to him, his parents were watching him, and sharing raised eyebrows and smiles with one another.

It took Sakura almost a good fifteen minutes of loving on Shadow and Tank to get them to relax. Giving them some new toys to play with helped that process. Walking inside, she moved through the sun room, and paused in the archway to the living room. A couple of Shikamaru's relatives had just walked inside the house. Once again, smoothing down her skirt, then she walked over. Her eyes on Shikamaru as she did. He had changed into some khaki shorts, and button up white polo. Something he wouldn't usually wear. She stopped beside him, just as the attention had gone over to her.

"Sakura," Yoshino started, having been laughing along with the woman who appeared to be around her age. "This is Azami, and her husband Suno, Shikaku's brother."

"It's nice to meet you," Sakura replied, smiling as she shook Suno's hand, then Azami's. Her eyes went to the door as more of his relatives walked in, they looked closer to Shikamaru and herself in age. Her focus went down more towards the little baby in the carrier the guy was carrying.

Shikamaru spoke up here, after he shook the guy's hand. "And this their son and my cousin Shinji, his wife Akara, and-"

"Awww, she's so cute," Sakura interrupted Shikamaru, as she leaned over slightly to look at the little baby. Her eyes sparkling. "What's her name?"

"I was going to tell you before you interrupted me," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes at how Sakura was clearly not listening to him.

"Kazumi, and she's four months old," the mother, Akara said, a smile on her face. "I recognize you. You work at the hospital correct?"

Sakura nodded, as she straightened up. "Yeah I practically live there when I'm not on missions," she said, laughing, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Although I've been having to cut back on that this past month-"

"And her name is Sakura, but if we leave it up to her, she'll probably tell you her whole life story before getting around to telling you her name," Shikamaru interrupted, smirking when Sakura propped her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"I was getting to that, thank you very much!"

Shikamaru shook his head, still smirking. "Were you really though?"

"You are so irritating!" Sakura shot back, clearly irritated with him.

"Shikamaru, quit-"

"Oh no," Shikamaru interrupted his mother, as he looked to her. "Mom I was just joking around with her."

"You are purposely irritating her-"

"Yeah well yesterday she threw a shoe at my face, and that was pretty irritating for me," Shikamaru once again interrupted his mom, then his eyes went to Sakura. "Then she of course acted like she didn't do a thing, and I was the one who ended up getting in trouble for just throwing the shoe back at her."

Sakura was the one to smirk this time. "But, I didn't do anything Shikamaru. Honest."

Unable to help himself, Shikamaru's smile came back on his face, but he just shook his head at her. "You're such a brat."

"Thank you," Sakura replied, as she nodded her head once. Smiling at how that made his family laugh. Her focusing going back on the baby Kazumi, as Akara picked her up.

"Would you like to hold her?" Akara questioned, seeing Sakura's attention had gone back to her daughter.

"Of course," Sakura said, dropping her hands from her hips to accept the baby in her arms. Her smile growing at the precious little baby. Her eyes were the lightest shade of blue, and her little hands were curious to reach to Sakura's face. "Oh my goodness, she's so precious."

"Hmm," Shikamaru hummed, watching Sakura. "You know, I thought you'd be like Ino. She's not really into kids that much."

"Okay, first of all, Ino does like kids. She just likes them better if they are either related to her, or she's familiar with them," Sakura replied back, still smiling down at the baby. "Second, what did we talk about yesterday? Does it look like I'm Ino?"

"Can we not talk about that? I'm having war flashbacks to the show throwing," Shikamaru replied, smirking at how that made Sakura laugh.

Shikaku, who had been out on the porch talking to some more of his relatives who had showed up, poked his head in the door. His eyes on his wife. "Are we ready to eat soon?"

"Yes, of course," Yoshino replied, her eyes going to Sakura. "Sakura, do you mind-"

"Be there in one second," Sakura replied, as she moved to pass baby Kazumi back over to Akara. "I really don't want to give her back, but if I don't I won't ever be able to let her go."

It wasn't until after Sakura helped Yoshino set out the food on the table in the sun room, that she returned back to the living room the rest of Shikamaru's relatives had come back inside. Her eyes went to Shikamaru right away. He was standing over by a guy that looked around the same age as them, then two younger teenagers.

Shikaku motioned for Sakura to come over when he noticed her. He pointed to a woman who had a few mirroring features of his. "This is my sister Sumiko, and her husband Abari. Then their kids; the eldest is Yoshio, then Ronin, and finally Seina."

Sumiko reached forward to shake Sakura's hand right away. "I know this pretty girl anywhere, I see her around the hospital all the time."

Sakura laughed lightly, and smiled back at Sumiko. "It's nice to meet you personally."

Shikaku continued then, to point to the remaining two members of his family. "These are my parents. Senji and Keiko."

Sakura's smile continued on her face, as she politely shook Senji's hand, but found herself being pulled in for a hug from Keiko. Although she was quick to relax, as she laughed lightly. "It's nice to meet you both."

"I'm glad you've come in to help with this party. It really means a lot to the whole clan," Keiko said, after she had stepped back from Sakura. Her eyes looking her over, to see her fidgeting with the skirt. "That is a very pretty dress, but you seem a little uncomfortable."

"Oh I am," Sakura replied almost immediately. "I'm not a big fan of dresses in the first place, but it's really the shoes that are not my favorite. I wouldn't have even bought them if it wasn't for my friend getting mad that I was refusing to participate in picking out all this stuff, and threatening to leave me alone to do all the shopping by myself." She paused to shrug her shoulders here. "Which was completely unfair of her to do that, as I would sit through shopping with her if she asked. Okay, maybe not at first, but I almost always end up going with her… Well usually she bribes me with buying me a bottle of wine, but I would end up going with out it… Probably-"

"You're talking a lot again," Shikamaru pointed out, as he walked over to her. A smirk on his face.

Not taking a moment to hesitate, Sakura propped her hands on her hips, and glared hard at Shikamaru. "Coming from someone who hasn't hardly said more than five sentences since your family has started showing up today. At least I'm socializing. You should probably work on that Shikamaru."

"Sakura, will you come here? Something is riling up Shadow and Tank?" Yoshino's voice carried over from the sunroom.

"Coming!" Sakura called back, as she turned to go back into the sunroom. Hearing her dog's barking the closer she got.

The second the pink haired woman was gone, Shikamaru's grandfather Keiko spoke up. "That woman sure is a real catch, huh Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder to watch Sakura through the open doorway to the sunroom. After a moment he smiled. "Yeah she is."

 **A half hour later**

They were all seated at the table eating. The conversation had been flowing smoothly up until a question was directed to Sakura, who wasn't paying attention to anything else except for baby Kazumi. Shikamaru, seeing her distraction, just elbowed her lightly.

However, this slightly startled Sakura, and she turned swiftly in her chair to face him. "God Shikamaru, what do you want?"

The attitude behind her words had his relatives laughing. Shikamaru only smirked. "You were asked a question."

Sakura was quiet for a moment, then offered a smile to his family. "What was the question again?"

A few chuckles were heard, before Keiko spoke up. "How did you get roped into doing this party?"

Sakura's eyes moved to Shikamaru, then back to his grandmother. "I mean when Shikamaru asked me, I wasn't quite sure why at first. I thought he'd pick Ino or someone he knew better, but apparently I'm more tolerable that Ino so that was the biggest deciding factor."

That actually made his relatives laugh again. Shikamaru spoke up when the laughter died down. "If I knew how much of a stressed out, danger magnet you were, then I may have reconsidered."

Sakura only smiled back at him. "Come on, who else would make you enjoy preparing for this party so much? Who else would share their candy with you? Who else would brighten your morning everyday just by existing?"

Shikamaru smirked, as he leaned closer to Sakura's face to reply "The same person who wakes me up in the middle of the night to talk because she's bored, or decides that pushing me off my bed is the best way to wake me up at five in the morning to go running."

That had his relatives laughing, Sakura joined in with them this time. "I know I'm an amazing person Shikamaru, you don't have to tell me that." She grinned at his eye roll, and she just focused back on his grandmother. "It's been fun so far planning for this party. Besides, if I wasn't here, I highly doubt any of the work would actually be done. If it was up to Shikamaru that is."

His grandmother laughed at that. "I remember when it was Senji's turn to start taking over the party, I was the one doing most of the work."

"That's true," Senji agreed with his wife, with a nod of his head. "It wasn't really something I was interested in when I was younger."

"And I ended up with the party because Suno didn't want to do it, but I didn't really want to either. Yoshino has been the one doing most of the work over the years," Shikaku added, then he smiled at his wife. "She's been a life saver."

Sakura laughed then, as she patted Shikamaru's shoulder. "Hey Shikamaru, I guess it runs in the family, but you're going to break the cycle right?"

"If it's left up to you, I'll be doing the whole damn thing on my own, and I'm going to enjoy it." Shikamaru shot back, making them all laugh.

 **An hour later**

They were all the living room now. Sakura and Shikamaru were in the kitchen, and just finishing up the dishes. Everything was pretty relaxed.

"Is that the Hokage?" Yoshio, Shikamaru's 17-year-old cousin questioned, as his eyes were focused on the windows to the front yard.

Before anything else was said, the sound of Sakura dropping one of the plastic serving spoons in the sink. Her eyes wide. "Oh no." Her words got everyone else focus on her.

Yoshino had got up to go get the door, a smile on her face. "Tsunade, what brings you by?"

"More like who," Tsunade corrected, her eyes darting over to the kitchen. "Sakura Haruno!"

Everyone's eyes went over to the kitchen. Now it appeared to be just Shikamaru standing there. After a moment, the top of Sakura's pink bun was seen, then she peeked from behind the counter tops. Her green eyes met Tsunade's darkened ones, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yes?"

"I need to speak to you about- stand up!" Tsunade exclaimed at Sakura, who still was crouched behind the counter top.

Standing all the way up, Sakura smoothed out her dress, and nervously rubbed the back of her neck. "You were saying."

"Your behavior last night," Tsunade continued a frown on her face.

Sakura was quiet for a long moment, moving her hands behind her back, as she frowned. "I don't recall."

"Yeah, I'm sure you don't recall anything from last night," Tsunade replied back, a frown on her face. "Let me jog your memory. Sometime around one in the morning, you and Hinata decided to take a trip outside the village. Apparently what was so important for you two to leave the village without permission was to go get cupcakes. You both were completely drunk. At least that is what the anbu unit told me."

It was quiet again, then Sakura finally hummed. "Yeah, I don't know. That doesn't really seem like something I would do."

Tsunade kept her frown on her face. "I forgot to mention how you punched out one of my anbu who was trying to bring you back to the village."

"There it is," Sakura said, nodding her head. "That's something I would do actually."

"After everything that has happened recently, you can't just leave the village whenever you want to," Tsunade started, completely infuriated, but trying to stay somewhat calm. "I cannot believe the lack of good judgment on your part here."

Shrugging her shoulders, Sakura nodded her head once. "I mean when I'm telling you that I understand Tsunade, I want you to know that I genuinely hear you," she just rubbed the back of her head again. "Although I really don't know how we're supposed to explain this to drunk Sakura."

While that had made Shikamaru's cousins snicker, Tsunade was clearly not laughing. "You're not funny. If you leave the village again, I will have you thrown in jail, and I won't think twice."

"You threaten to throw me in jail for a lot of things," Sakura pointed out, slipping her hands behind her back, she smiled. "But it's not like I'm trying to set any records or anything."

"I swear, if you're doing things like this just to get on my bad side-"

"You said it, not me," Sakura interrupted, her smile turning into a grin at Tsunade's dark glare.

Shikamaru turned to Sakura. "How hard can it be to stay put in the village?"

"Are you trying to tell me what to do?" Sakura countered.

"No that wasn't the point-"

"Because I don't really think you want to have this argument with me Shikamaru," Sakura interrupted him, making his family laugh.

Scowling at Sakura, Tsunade turned to the door. "Don't do it again, I'm serious Sakura."

"Sure thing," Sakura replied back before taking in a breath. "I mean, I'm so terribly sorry, and I won't ever do it again."

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade sighed heavily, and left. It wasn't until after the door was closed that Shikamaru looked to Sakura. "So no more late night drunk cupcake runs anymore?"

Sakura just held up her hand, her fingers crossed. "I had my fingers crossed the whole time." That had them all breaking into laughter.

Another fifteen minutes passed by, before they decided to go out on the front porch. Shikamaru was the only one not interested in going out. He was still lounging on the couch, not moving.

Walking out of the hall her bedroom was on, Sakura moved over to where Yoshino was. It was just her, Shikamaru's aunts, and Shikamaru inside now. "We're going outside?"

"Well most of us are, Shikamaru wants to stay inside." Was Yoshino's reply.

Glancing over to Shikamaru, Sakura frowned. He was leaning his head back against the couch cushions, and had his eyes closed. Looking back at his mom, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't want to huh?"

"No he doesn't, but that's not surprising," Yoshino said, offering Sakura a smile. "You've done a great job over the past month dear, but somethings never change."

Frowning once again in Shikamaru's direction, Sakura smiled back at his mom and aunts. "I'll be right out. Since everyone is outside, I'm going to move Shadow and Tank to my room. I don't want them to be outside for too long in this heat." That being said, she left to go bring her dogs inside, when she returned to the living room after that, her eyes went to the back of Shikamaru's head. Smirking, she moved over to the opposite side of the couch Shikamaru was on. His eyes were closed, so he didn't seem to have noticed her. Slipping off her sandals, she stepped up on the couch.

Her movement did get Shikamaru's attention. His eyes opened, and moved to focus on her. "What are you doing?"

Sakura, who had one hand to the skirt of her dress to keep it from going all over the place, walked over to the side of the couch he was on. Reaching her free hand to his shoulder to steady herself as she sat down.

Shikamaru, seeing she was slightly unsteady, moved his hand to take her hand that wasn't on his shoulder. "What-"

"Can you not ask me the same question I've already ignored?" Sakura interrupted him, getting even closer to him once she sat down. Almost to where there was barely any space between them. "How about we go outside?"

"How about we not?" Shikamaru countered, an eyebrow raised at how close she was. "I know personal space is beyond you, but come on Sakura. This is-"

Shikamaru had stopped speaking once Sakura had just barely touched the tip of her nose to his cheek. Twitching her nose a little, Sakura was already smiling. "Shikamaru."

A smile started on Shikamaru's face, despite the fact that his mind knew very well what she was up to. "I know what you are trying to do… but I'm telling you right now… that it's not…"

Sakura smiled as she noticed Shikamaru's lack of the ability to form a complete thought, and knew it was working. "Will you please go outside with us?"

Shikamaru, still trying to fight the smile edging onto his face, felt her nose twitching against his cheek again. "I don't want to go-"

"Really?" Sakura interrupted, twitching her nose again. "It'll be so much fun. Please?"

Shikamaru remained quiet, then he finally sighed. "Fine."

Grinning now, Sakura moved her legs over his in order to get up from the position she had been. Standing up, she propped a hand on her hips, as her eyes went over to Yoshino and his aunts who were still chatting away in the kitchen. Although they weren't chatting, but staring over their way. Sakura just smiled back at them. "He changed his mind, he'll be coming outside with us."

"Alright," Shikamaru's mom said, unable to keep the smile from her face at having watched that. "We'll be outside." She says as she went outside with her sister-in-law's.

Turning, Sakura grabbed her sandals from the floor, and moved to sit down on the couch to slip them back on her feet. However, she paused to smooth down the skirt of the dress. "This stupid dress..."

Having sat up more to put his own shoes back on his feet, Shikamaru looked over to her. "It looks fine."

"I know that," Sakura replied quickly, as she met his eyes. "I'm the one who bought it."

Shikamaru smirked at her reply. "Then why-"

"Like I was saying earlier, I don't like dresses," Sakura interrupted, looking back at him. "Occasionally I do if I'm in the mood to wear one, but most of the time I don't."

"Why not? Ino likes them," Shikamaru said, then he waved off her look. "And yes, I know you're not Ino. But, I mean you've been friends for a long time, so I figure that when it comes to somethings you two are alike."

"Well dressing up like this is not one of them," Sakura started, as she began actually slipping her sandals on. "I don't like feeling restricted, and in a dress, I'm restricted. Because I can't move like I want to. If it's short I can't really bend over without giving everyone a show, and the proper way to sit in a dress is to cross my legs or my ankles. Which I don't like that, as I like to sit however I please. It's just annoying to deal with, and I prefer shorts or pants. Or leggings. Because not only do those cover all my parts, they are so damn comfortable."

Laughing at how she phrased that, Shikamaru moved to stand up. Turning to her, he held his hand out to her, and smiled. "Well I like the dress. You look beautiful in it."

Feeling her cheeks grow warm, Sakura's eyes moved to the floor, as she finished with her sandals. Trying to fight the smile that wanted to appear on her face. Finally she took his hand, and stood up. Not saying anything as her eyes met his.

Having noticed the small smile on her face after he complimented her, Shikamaru smirked after another moment of silence. "Your face is red."

"Shut up," was Sakura's instinct reply, as she brought her free hand to her cheek as she averted her eyes. Silently cursing herself, and hoping the redness would go away.

"This sure is a change," Shikamaru said, clearly still amused with her clear embarrassment. "Usually you embarrass me."

After a moment, Sakura dropped her hand from her face, but kept her eyes focused down on the floor. "Yeah well, it's really easy to get under your skin, and embarrass you."

Shikamaru chuckled at that. "Well at least I can level the playing field now. All I have to do is compliment you. Like telling you how nice your hair looks today, or that you look very pretty-"

"Shikamaru!" Sakura exclaimed, already feeling her face getting warm all over again. However this time, she started to laugh, and he had joined in with her this time. It wasn't until their laughter died down, that her eyes finally met his. "Thank you… For the compliment."

"You're welcome," Shikamaru replied, his eyes moving downward to see he was still holding her hands. When he looked back at her, he could tell she noticed it too. It was quiet for a long moment, then they broke into laughter again.

 **Outside**

Yoshino moved over to the side of the porch everyone else was. Taking a glance or two back at her son and Sakura inside.

"So Yoshino," Azami started, having been also looking inside the house through the glass windows. But, her focus went to her sister-in-law fully. "What's your take on that?"

"Take on what?" Yoshino asked, acting as if she hadn't been spying on her son, as she took a sip of her lemonade.

"You know," Sumiko broke into the conversation, a smile on her face, as she motioned towards the house. "Are they dating?"

That had Yoshino hum for a moment, then she smiled and looked to her husband. "No they are not."

Shikaku knew the look in his wife's eyes, the same one that mirrored in his sister's and his sister-in-law's. "We know our son well, and dating has never been his style. However, it is not that hard to see that somehow that young woman has managed to have him wrapped around her finger. I don't think either of them really realize that either."

"Sakura's brother visited a few weeks ago, and picked up on it then," Yoshino added, still smiling as she shook her head. "Those two certainly spend so much time together, it's amazing they haven't figured it out."

Akara's light laughter could be heard, she had Kazumi on her lap, and was shaking her head. "I don't know. It seems to me like it's starting to become more obvious to them."

"Slowly, but surely," Keiko added, having been watching her grandson and that pink haired woman laughing away inside. It reminded her of her younger days with her own love Senji.

The sound of footsteps was heard, brought the attention to the front door as Shikamaru and Sakura walked out. Sakura was now glaring at Shikamaru, as she crossed her arms. "You are being increasingly annoying to me today."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her. "Don't even get me started. If it wasn't for you annoying me, then I would still be inside."

"You were the one who agreed to come outside, so you can't entirely blame it on me." Sakura pointed out, a smile on her face.

"You practically gave me no choice," Shikamaru told her, shaking his head at her. "You are annoyingly persistent in getting what you want."

That made Sakura's smile widen, as she rested a hand lightly on Shikamaru's cheek. "That's probably the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"Of course you take that as a compliment." Shikamaru chuckled at her beaming happiness.

"Don't act so surprised," Sakura replied, grabbing his hand, then she proceeded to pull him off the porch. "Let's walk around."

"Do I have a choice?" Shikamaru asked, catching his footing before she could try and drag him down the stairs.

"Nope!" Sakura shot back, as she kept walking, not letting go of his hand.

Hearing his relatives laughing, Shikamaru sighed, but a smile edged its way on his face.

When Shikamaru moved to walk alongside her instead of her pulling him behind her, Sakura let go of his hand, and brought that hand to shade her eyes from the sun. "Okay, I have one fault in this plan, and that is that I can't see a thing."

"So we're going back inside?" Shikamaru questioned sounding hopeful.

"Not a chance. Nice try though," was Sakura's reply, as she stuck out her tongue at him.

Smirking at the child-like gesture, Shikamaru nudged her side when they got past the garden in his front yard. "Let's walk down the road and back."

That had a smile growing on Sakura's face, as they moved to walk down the road. "Look at you, enjoying being outside. Aren't you glad I made you come outside?"

"Nothing like extremely hot weather, and no clouds," was Shikamaru's sarcastic reply, but he was smirking back at her. Focusing back forward, he slipped his hands in his pockets. Shaking his head, as his eyes moved up to the sky. "There's not much to do out here now anyways when it gets this hot."

"Sure there is," Sakura disagreed, as she let her eyes roam around them. "You can go swimming for one thing. Then there is hiking, hanging out with friends, going to parties-"

"Okay, I get it," Shikamaru interrupted her. "There is a lot of things to do. But do I look like the type of person to do any of those things?"

That had Sakura laughing, as she shrugged. "Well I mean the party thing doesn't really seem like its your scene."

"Exactly… Besides, even if we there was any of that stuff to do, my mom would kill us if we were gone for too long," Shikamaru started, but rolled his eyes. "Okay, she'd probably kill me. She likes you for some strange reason."

"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed, lightly smacking his shoulder, as she laughed. When her laughter died down, they reached the end of the Nara district. Her eyes went to Shikamaru as they both stopped. "I thought I'd meet more people in your family today."

"Well you met my dad's immediate family today," Shikamaru replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "You'll meet the rest of the extended Nara clan probably at the actual party at the end of the month."

"Oh okay, that makes sense..." Sakura trailed off, as her eyes moved towards the Hokage monument. An idea popping into her head. "So how much time do you think we have before your mom gets mad?"

Shikamaru shrugged without saying anything, as he thought for a second. "Well if it was just me, she'd be mad before I even left our property. But, I'd say maybe twenty minutes tops- Hey, what are you doing?"

Sakura had bent over to slip her sandals off her feet. Straightening up to meet Shikamaru's eyes, she smiled. "I'm being spontaneous." Was all she said, as she pulled her headband off, letting her hair fall down. It had curled a bit from being up in the high bun, with the hairspray in her hair. She just barely paused to drop her shoes and headband onto a bench nearby, then she took off.

With his mouth slightly ajar at how quick she was to take off, Shikamaru hesitated, but kicked off his own shoes. He started after her, a growing smile on his face, as he watched her in front of him. The skirt of her dress was flying behind her, and her hair was all over the place. When he heard her laughter, his smile grew, and he picked up his speed.

Sakura kept on running for another few minutes, and didn't have any set plans to stop. She knew Shikamaru was following her, as she had glanced back at him every once in a while. It wasn't until they were on top of the Hokage monuments that she felt his arms encircle her waist, causing their running to come to an end. She laughed, as he had ended up lifting her slightly off the ground to fully stop her.

Setting Sakura to her feet, Shikamaru was laughing himself. "A spontaneous run?"

"Yep," Sakura replied, as she turned around to face him. "It was something to do out here in the Summer heat, wasn't it-" She broke off when she caught his eyes when she fully turned around. In the moment, she found herself taken by surprise. It was the first time she really realized the way he looked at her. The first time she was consciously aware of the space between them, and the lack of in this moment. She was at a loss for words.

Unknowingly, Shikamaru was feeling the same vibe as Sakura was. He was increasingly aware of his hands still on her waist, and how the distance between them was only inches. His eyes focused in on her emerald green ones

While it was only a minute, it felt like hours that they stood there in silence. Finally Sakura took a step back, his hands had dropped from her waist, as she brought a hand to rub the back of her neck. Laughing lightly. "I think we should probably go ahead and head back. Your mom might actually get mad at both of us if we're gone much longer."

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment, then he put a smirk on his face. He moved past her to go towards the edge of the Hokage monument to head back down. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to put all the blame on you when we get back."

"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed, but he had already started to go down the monument. She heard him laughing, and she just shook her head after a moment. A smile on her face, as she took off after him.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so I know this chapter is long, but I just couldn't bring myself to cut out any scenes. I thought about splitting it into two separate chapters, but I felt that individually the chapters would have been too short. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to introduce some close relatives to Shikamaru, to give you all some background for once it actually comes time for the party, which in story time, is only a few weeks away. My favorite scene was definitely the end, but I also thought the scene where Sakura through her shoe at Shikamaru was funny too. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	12. When Rain Falls

_Review:_

 _While it was only a minute, it felt like hours that they stood there in silence. Finally Sakura took a step back, his hands had dropped from her waist, as she brought a hand to rub the back of her neck. Laughing lightly. "I think we should probably go ahead and head back. Your mom might actually get mad at both of us if we're gone much longer."_

 _Shikamaru was quiet for a moment, then he put a smirk on his face. He moved past her to go towards the edge of the Hokage monument to head back down. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to put all the blame on you when we get back."_

" _Hey!" Sakura exclaimed, but he had already started to go down the monument. She heard him laughing, and she just shook her head after a moment. A smile on her face, as she took off after him._

* * *

 **The next morning, June 8th**

Taking in a breath, Sakura opened her eyes to look up at ceiling. The air in her room was just the right temperature, and the ceiling fan circling gave a little extra chill. Having forgot to close her curtains last night, the light was coming in from her windows. Baby had been up on the pillows behind her head, but had moved closer to her when she realized her human was awake. She was not resting partially on Sakura's chest, and along one side of Sakura's neck. Purring away. Shadow was to her left, and Tank to her right. Both her hands were on her stomach, as she was thinking back to last night.

Shikamaru's family stayed over until about five. Sakura had a hard time saying goodbye to baby Kazumi, as the adorable little baby had just woke up from her nap before everyone left. She also made good friends with Shikamaru's youngest cousin Seina. She was 12, and loved animals. Something they both bonded over. Seina's older brothers Ronin and Yoshio reminded her a little bit of Naruto and Sai, and they had a similar sense of humor.

After everyone had left, Yoshino and Shikaku decided they were going to order takeout for dinner, and Shikamaru and Sakura had taken down the tables and chairs in the sun room to return them back into a storage room off of the small hall to the left of the kitchen that the dining room was off of. The rest of the evening was all of them together in the living room relaxing.

Her mind slowly drifted into thinking about what happened on the Hokage monument. After they had returned back to his house, they didn't really see much of each other alone the rest of the evening. When they did, there wasn't much said. Focusing back on the moment on the Hokage monument, and she felt fluttering in her chest as she remembered the way she felt in the moment. That didn't last long, as she sat up to try to stop thinking about it. Disturbing Baby's peace, and the cat just moved back to curling up on top of Sakura's pillows.

Her movement had both Shadow and Tank's attention. Their tails began to thump on the bed, as they focused on her for attention.

"Come on boys, let's get moving," Sakura told them after a moment of petting them. Getting up, she slipped on some shorts, but paused when she looked at herself in the mirror of her closet. Her hair was still a little curly and wavy from having been hair sprayed up in her bun yesterday. Scooping it up into a messy bun, she left her room. Her dogs following shortly behind.

Walking out in the quiet living room, she went to let the dogs out. She had the house to herself this morning. She had training with Naruto and Sai in an hour, Shikamaru was with his team, and his parents said something about going to help out Shikamaru's grandparents with putting up some new shelves or something like that.

After grabbing a bowl of cereal and some coffee, Sakura sat on one of the bar stools to eat her breakfast. Thinking about her training, and how it would just be her team, as the other teams were having solo training sessions today. Which she was excited for, as it had been a while since she last trained with just Naruto and Sai. Since she last trained in general. Over the weeks they had been working on this party, she hardly had time to go train anymore, or let alone work at the hospital. Sometimes she'd only get two days of training in a week.

The sound of her dogs trotting into the house, she got up to close the front door. When it closed, she realized just how quiet the house was. Being the only one there was strange. Thinking back to the last time she had a morning alone- Flashes of getting attacked in her apartment hit her. The destruction that followed. Then thoughts to that trip she took with the Nara's a week ago, and the attack then.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she went back to the bar, and sat down. Taking a sip of her coffee first, then she started back to finishing her cereal. _This is not going to happen today. I am not going to bring back in those negative thoughts. I am going to make myself so busy that I won't have anything to think about but work._

 **Later that evening around seven**

Walking up onto the Nara's front porch, Sakura sighed heavily. Tired and aching after the workouts she had done that day. Getting to the door, she could already see Shadow and Tank get up to come over to greet her. Their greeting was accompanied with a few barks once she actually opened the door, and walked in. She set her bag down on the floor, and focused on petting Shadow and Tank.

"Look who it is." Shikaku had noted from where he was sitting next to his wife on one of the couches.

Yoshino had looked over as well. "We were wondering when you'd be getting back."

"Yeah," Sakura started, as she had to hold Tank back a bit from jumping in her face. "I wasn't expecting to be out this late, but things happened."

Shikamaru, who had just walked out of the hallway his and Sakura's bedrooms were on, paused when he saw her. "I thought you were just training."

Noticing him eyeing her clothes, Sakura's own eyes went down to the charcoal colored scrubs she was wearing, then back to Shikamaru. "I was supposed to just go train. But I decided this morning that I had a little too much free time today, so I tried to fill in the gap a little bit."

Sitting down on the couch opposite to his parents, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in Sakura's direction. "Did something happen?"

"Why would you say that?" Sakura countered almost immediately.

Taking note of her quick response, Shikamaru shrugged. "I've learned that you like to make yourself busy when something's going on. That way you'll be distracted from thinking about whatever it is.

Sakura was slightly taken off guard at his very accurate assessment, and her eyes dropped down to Shadow and Tank. Petting them in silence, as her mind went back to what she had been thinking about earlier that morning. However, instead of coming up with a lie in her head, her eyes moved back to meet his. "I can be an anxious person Shikamaru. Sometimes things that happen in the past can randomly pop into my mind, and make need for some kind of distraction to get them to go away again."

"I'm sorry," Shikamaru started after a moment of silence. "I'm having a hard time getting past the fact that you're actually being honest when I ask you if you're doing okay."

"Shut up," Sakura shot back, as she glared at him. "It wasn't a big deal, so why lie about it?"

"I have asked that very same question about you," Shikamaru replied, then he smirked. "You're growing up on me."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura laughed lightly. "And you say I'm dramatic."

That had them all laughing. Yoshino was the first to break, as she remembered something. "There are some leftovers from dinner in the refrigerator

"Oh it's alright. I grabbed something to eat..." Sakura trailed off to look at her watch, and her eyes widened. "Six hours ago."

Chuckling at that, Yoshino moved to get up from the couch. "I'll heat you up a plate."

"Thanks, I'm going to grab a shower." Sakura replied, grabbing her bag from the floor, and starting off to her room. Shadow and Tank following close behind.

Almost an hour later Sakura was sitting at the bar, and had just finished up eating dinner. Baby was laying on the seat next to her, and Shadow and Tank were just below bar stools. Here she is reading the back of a book that Hinata had recently lent her to read. The Fault In Our Stars. She wasn't quite sure if she'd like it, but Hinata said that it was a good read. _Maybe I'll get around to reading this. A good book is always a welcome distraction._

Getting up to put her dish in the dishwasher, it was then that she was able to look out the windows into the front yard. It was a little past eight, and usually the sun would be well into setting now. But, instead of the light of the setting sun there were dark clouds in the sky. With it getting darker out, the sky looked like a mixture of dark grey and some dimmed blue/purple in spots that didn't have clouds. Without much thought, Sakura went over and opened the front door, and she stepped out onto the front porch. There was a pretty strong wind going. One that made goosebumps appear on her skin, as her hair was still slightly damp.

Despite feeling that chill, Sakura turned, and looked inside. "Come on boys!" She called to Shadow and Tank. Wanting them to go outside, just in case it started storming or raining in a little while. Shadow and Tank did go outside. But, after taking care of his business, Tank was right back in the house. Shadow, however, remained with Sakura, who had sat down on the top step of the stairs. Her legs were crossed Indian style, and one hand rested on Shadow's back.

Inside, Shikamaru had just finished up a game of shogi with his dad, and his attention had gone to Sakura out on the porch. After she didn't move for a few minutes, he looked to his dad. "I'll be right back, set up another game?"

"Hmm," Shikaku hummed, but nodded his head and started to set up for another game.

Walking outside onto the porch, Shikamaru crossed his arms at the harsh wind that was going by them. Standing on the other side of Shadow, by the railing that connected to the stairs for a moment, he finally looked down from the dark sky to look at Sakura. "Why are you staying out here?"

"Because," Sakura started without opening her eyes, as she took in a breath. The strong wind going past her was soothing. "It's so relaxing."

Staring at her for a moment, Shikamaru switched his gaze over to the left side of the porch. He could see trees swaying from the strong wind. Looking skyward again, the darkened potential storm clouds seemed to be taking over the sky. Finally, his eyes moved back to her. "So you find storms relaxing?"

"You find clouds relaxing," Sakura replied almost immediately, as she did open her eyes to look up at him. "My version is just much louder, more unpredictable, and sometimes dangerous."

Her words had Shikamaru smirking, then he chuckled after another moment of trying not to.

"What?"

Shaking his head, Shikamaru turned to go back inside. "Nothing."

Sakura moved quick, and reached around Shadow to grab Shikamaru's leg to keep him from leaving. "No tell me."

Laughing at what she was doing, Shikamaru crossed his arms, and smirked down at her. "I just think it's funny. I like peaceful clouds and you like loud, unpredictable, and dangerous thunderstorms. I think that sums us up perfectly."

Letting go of Shikamaru's leg, Sakura turned so she was laying on her back instead of awkwardly on her side. Humming as she thought about it, she finally laughed. "I guess you're right. That is kind of funny."

Shikamaru's own smile grew at the sight of hers. Shaking his head after a moment. "Now if you would move your head so I could open the door, that would be great."

"Give me like 10 minutes," Sakura said, laughing at Shikamaru's eye roll, she moved to push herself to sitting back up. "You're welcome."

"You're ridiculous," Shikamaru told her, chuckling as he opened the door.

"Hey prop the door open," Sakura hurried to say that before he could close the door again. "Tank might want to come back out."

Over the course of the next twenty minutes, Sakura found herself in a good meditation session. Only to be disrupted when the first rumble of thunder was heard. In that moment, Shadow sat up from where he had laid down, and Tank's barking could be heard from inside. Sighing at the broken concentration, Sakura pushed herself to standing up. "Come on Shadow. I'm going to give you and your brother some treats, and maybe Tank won't have a stroke over this storm."

Once she did give her dogs some treats, peanut butter inside one of each of their toys, Sakura settled down on the floor. Watching Shikamaru and Shikaku play shogi, as she and Yoshino chatted away. Having to keep stopping every couple minutes to calm Tank down after he started barking again. Finally it got to a point where Tank got a little too close to Baby when he was barking, making her hiss and bolt to the top of the couch. Her claws digging into the cushions.

"Alright Tank, that's enough," Sakura said, whistling for him to come over. When he just barked again at more thunder, she tried again. "Tank, come!" That got his attention, and he moved over to her. Whining as he did. When he got close enough, she started to massage back behind his ears. "Love, it's okay. You've got to stop stressing so much."

Finally after minutes of Sakura's massage, Tank finally stopped growling every time the thunder happened. He moved to lay down, partially on Sakura's lap, and rested his head down.

Yoshino had watched what Sakura had done to calm Tank down. "Shadow certainly seems to handle storms better."

Noticing Tank relax, Sakura's eyes went to Yoshino who was across the coffee table on other couch. "Well since Shadow was a baby he was usually fine during any kind of stressful situation, because he was with me. He's kind of a momma's boy, and he is content as long as he's near me. Tank, on the other hand, ventures out more. He doesn't feel like he needs to be immediately where I am. So when it storms, he feels like he needs to be up and barking. It's not usually until after I reach out to him, that he'll come over and let me help him relax. I just wish he'd just come to me in the beginning. I hate having him stress himself out so much."

Yoshino smiled at that. "It's sweet that you care so much."

"I've been that way since I was really young with all my furbabies over the years," Sakura said, putting a smile on her face. "I guess I get that from my mother, but don't tell her I said that." Her eyes went directly to Shikamaru.

Noticing her look, Shikamaru paused before he could make his next play on the shogi board. "What? Does it look like I'm going to get up and go write to your mother now?"

"I'm just being cautious," Sakura replied, a slightly smile on her face. "How do I know she hasn't turned you into one of her little spies?"

That actually had Shikaku laughing, and he spoke before his son could. "Spies?"

"Just one of the many people my mother inlists to "keep an eye on me" also known as "keep me out of trouble if they can help it". Like Hinata or Neji for example," Sakura started grinning. "Hinata and I have been best friends for a long time, and Neji and I became friends a little after Hinata and I did. So they have been my mothers spies for years. Then if my mom needs to, the rest of my team will be her spies. There's actually a very long list."

"That's not surprising," Shikamaru said, laughing at the thought. "You're a lot of work."

Sakura smiled at him. "Yet somehow you still put up with me everyday."

Smiling back at Sakura, Shikamaru tried to hide the smile by coughing, and looking back at the shogi board. "Well I figure with how entertaining you are, you're worth the effort."

"Aw thanks, I feel so special," Sakura said, before she and Shikamaru both laughed. Another loud clap of thunder was heard, and Tanks head lifted. Sakura focused back down on him. "Relax my love..." Trailing off in thought, her eyes went to the Nara's, as she moved to stand up. "I'm probably going to go to bed. Maybe if I can get Tank to sleep, he'll really able to relax and not stress."

There was a chorus of saying goodnight to Sakura as she left the living room to go back to her bedroom. Shikamaru looked away from the shogi board, and out of the corner of his eye he watched her leave.

"You know we can see you."

Hearing his dad's voice, Shikamaru looked over to see both of his parents staring at him. "What?"

"We can see you," his dad repeated, a smirk on his face.

Yoshino held a big smile on hers, and a twinkle in her eye. "Watching her."

"I wasn't watching her," Shikamaru countered, feeling his cheeks grow slightly warm at the thought. "I have no idea what you two are talking about."

"Yeah sure you don't." Was the only thing his dad said, before he and his wife broke off into laughter. Having noticed how they clearly embarrassed him by how red his cheeks were getting.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shikamaru replied, as he moved to stand up from the table. Feigning a yawn, as stretched his arms up. "Well I'm going to bed. Got a long day tomorrow. Goodnight." He spoke hurriedly, as he turned to leave the living room. Going down the hall to his door on the right, he stopped before he went in. His eyes sliding to Sakura's door to his right. With what his parents were saying, it wasn't hard for his mind to go back to the day before. Them on top of the hokage monument. How close they were. How the way his hands on her waist felt. The image of her emerald green eyes looking into his. Shaking his head after a moment, he went in his room. Thinking some sleep would help rid those thoughts from his mind.

 **The next evening, June 9th**

The pitter patter sound of rain hitting the roof caught Sakura's attention almost immediately, and she set down her glass of wine. Looking up towards the ceiling.

Shikamaru, mid-game of shogi with his dad, had noticed the sound as well, and saw Sakura move. "That can't be rain… Can it?"

"I don't know," Sakura said after listening for another moment. "I thought they said we wouldn't have a chance until tomorrow."

"I think it is," Shikaku started, getting up to walk over to the windows. The curtains were slid over them. Pushing back them back to look outside. "It certainly is coming down."

"I thought that's what I heard," came Yoshino's voice, before she appeared from the hallway by the kitchen's right. Having just taken a shower, and had been folding some laundry in her and Shikaku's bedroom.

With it confirmed, Sakura got up from the couch. Causing both Shadow and Tank to lift their heads up, alert at her movement. She moved over to the front door, opened it, and stepped out onto the porch. Shikaku was right, the rain was coming down hard. The patter of her dogs footsteps followed her out onto the porch, then human steps followed.

"My flowers are certainly going to love this," Yoshino's voice was heard first, as she moved over to the railing on the porch to look at her flowers.

Shikaku moved to stand beside his wife. "It hasn't rained hardly at all except for once last month, and it wasn't that much. We've certainly been needing it."

Shikamaru's focus was on Sakura, as he stood beside her. He could tell from her facial expression and the sparkle in her eye, that she was loving this rain. Studying her for a moment longer, he reached down to take his socks off.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked him, looking away from the rain to look at him.

Tossing his socks over onto one of the chairs on the porch, Shikamaru then looked Sakura straight in the eye. A smirk on his face. "I'm being spontaneous." Turning, he went down the steps of the porch, and into the rain.

"Shikamaru!" Yoshino exclaimed, slightly surprised her son would voluntarily go into the rain.

Sakura was remembering back to a couple days ago before their run to the Hokage monument. She had said those same words to him, and it had her laughing now. Taking off her watch, then her own socks, she jumped down the steps. Out in the rain now, she darted across the yard to where Shikamaru was. Leaping the last few feet to where she was on his back, her arms over his shoulders.

Laughing at Sakura suddenly jumping on his back, as the rain poured down around them. Shikamaru turned a bit towards the porch when he heard barking, and Shadow and Tank had joined them out in the rain. Jumping in puddles and running around.

Sakura did get down from Shikamaru's back then, as she moved and slid over to Tank who was closest. Almost falling, but she just barely caught herself. Her eyes focused over on Shikamaru, as she grinned. "Did you see that?"

Shikamaru nodded, then moved and slid over to her. Actually managing to kick some mud up on her legs, and all he did was laugh. "Like Ino says, sorry not sorry."

"Shikamaru!" Sakura laughed, then she and Shikamaru just began to slide around in the mud and try to get it on each other. Shadow and Tank in the middle of it all.

"Hey watch my flowers!" Yoshino's voice was heard calling to them after a few minutes. However, she held a smile on her face, as she watched her son and Sakura running around.

"Sorry mom!" Shikamaru called back, just before Sakura got him good with mud getting all the way up to his arm.

Starting an all out mud war between them. They continued on out in the rain and mud for another half hour, then they finally came inside. The sky was dark, as the little bit of sunlight that managed to peek through the clouds was gone with the sunset. When they got onto the porch, Yoshino had got them some towels, and had turned the porch light on.

Shikamaru right away took off his t-shirt, as that wasn't really helping with drying off. Then reached for a towel from his mom. "Thanks mom."

"I just don't want you getting my floor all wet," was his mother's reply, but she held a smile on her face. She then handed Sakura a towel as well. "I figured that since I'll be washing them anyways, once you two are done, it might help get some of the mud off the dogs."

Sakura's eyes were actually focused in on Shikamaru. Having watched him since he took off his shirt, but had to shake her head to get her focus back. Taking the towel from his mom, she just smiled. "That'll help a little so they won't track it in the house, but I'll probably give them a bath to get all the dirt off."

Little did Sakura know, Shikamaru had taken note of her staring at him. When she looked away, he took that opportunity to look at her. How her wet clothes clung to her, her figure outlined under the fabric. His eyes darted away when he noticed Sakura looking back his way.

"You wanna help me?"

Shikamaru was quiet, as he looked down at Shadow and Tank who Sakura was trying to towel dry a little. "Fine, but I'm not cleaning up the mess they make in the house."

Laughing, Sakura moved to open the front door. "Don't worry, I'll do it."

It wasn't until after Sakura, Shikamaru, and the two dogs were inside that Shikaku eyed his wife. "It's been a while since I last saw Shikamaru do something like that. The last time was when he was still in the academy."

"Yeah..." Yoshino agreed, trailing off as she smiled. "I miss those days where he'd go out and have fun like that. It looks like we're getting those back again."

Shikaku nodded, a smirk on his face. "It looks like."

 **An hour later**

After a little over a half hour of getting the dogs washed, Sakura and Shikamaru split ways to take their own showers. Sakura, having taken nearly a half hour trying to scrub off all the mud she had gathered on her legs and arms, finally stepped out of her bedroom. Pausing, her eyes went to the windows that lined the hall opposite to the one the bedroom doors were on. It was still pouring rain, and it didn't seem like it was letting up at all.

Shadow pushing his head up under her hand, had her focus back on walking to the living room. Tank was already in the living room, on the floor by the couch. Shikamaru was seated there, but his parents were gone. She assumed they must have gone to bed. Walking over to the coffee table, Sakura grabbed her empty wine glass.

That had got Shikamaru's attention, as his eyes went to her. "More wine? Am I going to be getting a visit from drunk Sakura at 2 in the morning?"

Laughing, Sakura shook her head. "No, I was thinking about boiling some water for tea. Want some?"

The only response Shikamaru gave was a soft hum.

Sakura went over to the kitchen to put her wine glass in the dishwasher, and started to put water in the kettle. "Let me guess; you don't like tea."

"Actually, I do," Shikamaru replied, a smirk on his face. "I was just debating on if I wanted some or not… I guess it'd be good after being out in that rain."

"That's all you had to say," Sakura said, sticking out her tongue at him, as she put the kettle on the stove. Moving back over to the couches, and sat down on the same couch as him. Pulling her feet up on the couch, she watched Shikamaru for a moment. Starting to smile when she saw him raise an eyebrow at her staring. "I need to up my game."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Sakura started, propping her elbow on the back of the couch, then her head on her hand. "When I try to be spontaneous; we go on a run. When you do it; we end up playing in the rain for half an hour. I'd have to say yours was a lot more fun."

Chuckling at her clear unhappy look of admitting that his was better, Shikamaru reached over and patted her knee. "The run was fun too."

"I mean I know that, but it just needs to be better than yours," Sakura replied, smiling when that made Shikamaru all out laugh. Humming for a moment, an idea finally popped into her head. "We should go jump off a waterfall or something."

"Are you crazy?" Shikamaru started, an eyebrow raised, but he held a smirk on his face. "That's not fun, that is insane."

"What?" Sakura countered him, still smiling. "It's fun."

"You've done that before?" Shikamaru asked her, then he shook his head. "Of course you have. You and danger work as one."

Laughing for a moment, Sakura was able to stop after a moment, a twinkle in her eye. "You know me so well… Since you haven't done it before, you and I will have to go jump off a waterfall together."

"You know it's not really spontaneous since you're telling me that we're going to do it," Shikamaru pointed out.

"Don't worry, I'll just wait until you've forgotten about it, then surprise you."

Chuckling, Shikamaru shook his head. "Why do I get the feeling that your version of surprise is pushing me off the top of a waterfall."

That had Sakura grinning, then that grin turned into a laugh. "That actually does sound like something I'd do… But probably to Naruto or Sai. I wouldn't do it to you."

"Well," Shikamaru started, smiling at her, as he leaned over to her. "I feel special. First you complement me on my spontaneous ideas, then you are so kind as to confirm you don't plan on getting me killed."

Leaning closer to Shikamaru, leaving only a few inches between them, Sakura laughed lightly. "I'm telling you Shikamaru, you won't actually die… Probably. I can't say for sure because there might be a lot of rocks at the bottom, but we can just look before we jump."

"Glad that you've got that planned out," Shikamaru replied, laughing along with her.

The laughter between them slowly died down after a moment. Leaving them in silence, and their eyes connected. The soft rhythmic sound of the rain coming down was the only sound in the room. Their close proximity brought back the memory of the moment on the hokage monument.

The moment was soon broken when the sound of the tea kettle whistling was heard. Shikamaru was the first to move, as he leaned back to his own space. "The water's ready."

Having stayed where she was a few seconds longer, Sakura pushed herself to get up. The fluttering feeling inside of her disappeared, as she walked over to turn the stove off. Grabbing some tea from the cabinet, her eyes went to Shikamaru, and his eyes were already on her. Vanilla chai or peppermint?"

 **A couple days later, June 11th**

Getting back under her covers, Sakura settled back against her pillows. The flash of light in her window caught the corner of her eye, then there was a crack of thunder that followed. Her eyes went to Tank who was laying at her feet, and he stayed calm. Relaxed after she spent a good twenty minutes massaging him. Shadow was to her left, and didn't even open his eyes at the thunder. Baby was behind her head on the pillows, and was alert but not moving.

It had been raining the past couple days, and all day today. Between the claps of thunder and the rain, that was enough to relax Sakura down. With the added bonus of her ceiling fan and her box fan in the room, it was the perfect setting for her to start a book. The Fault In Our Stars. She was only a chapter in, but was so far liking it. Reaching over to grab her wine glass from the bed side table, she took a sip, then began the next chapter.

With the relaxing environment, Sakura was soon back into the story, and had made it through the next couple of chapters. However, hearing her door opening, had her eyes break from the book to look up, and they met the eyes of Shikamaru. Staring at him for a moment, as he had frozen at the door when their eyes met. She grabbed her glass of wine, took a sip, then looked back down at her book.

Taking Sakura's silence as it was fine for him to be in here, Shikamaru crossed the room, and got on the bed beside her. Petting Tank who's head was close to his knee. After another moment of nothing but the sound of the occasional thunder and rain, he looked to Sakura.

Feeling his eyes on her, Sakura sipped her wine again. "If you try taking my book from me again, it is not going to end well for you."

"I kind of figured that after the first time I almost didn't come out alive," Shikamaru replied, smirking. Thinking about how before dinner, he had tried to get her attention to let her know that it was time to eat. After many failed attempts, he tried to take her book, and that ended with her nearly tackling him to the ground. He swore that she bit him, but she denied it up and down everytime he said it. Focusing his eyes back onto Sakura. Watching her focusing on that book of hers. "I'm bored."

That made Sakura laugh and shake her head. "So because you're bored, you came in here for me to what? Entertain you?"

Laughing as she quoted him from earlier on that week, Shikamaru finally shrugged, as he grinned at her. "The thought crossed my mind."

Once again, Sakura laughed. When her laughter died down, she sipped her wine, and set the glass back on her bedside table. Focusing in on her book. "I'm not sure I'll be very entertaining."

"Lucky for you, you don't have to try that hard," Shikamaru replied, leaning back against the pillows on the bed. Bringing his arms back behind his head, he eyed the book in her hands. "So you finished another book earlier today, then you started that one. You've been reading all day."

"It's like there was much else to do," Sakura replied, her eyes not leaving her book. "We didn't have any work to do, and going outside wasn't really an option with the on and off lighting all day."

"I guess that's true..." Shikamaru trailed off for a moment of silence, then he was back to focusing in on her and her book. "Is that book really that interesting?"

Laughing at his question, Sakura nodded. "Yes Shikamaru, it is really that interesting. Haven't you ever found a book that you just can't put down?"

Humming in thought, Shikamaru finally shook his head. "I mean maybe once or twice, but reading isn't really my thing."

That finally had Sakura looking away from her book to look at him. "You probably just haven't found the right book that'll really draw you in. We'll work on that. I've got plenty of books for you to choose from at my apartment."

"So we're adding that to our bucket list?" Shikamaru countered with a smirk on his face.

"Our bucket list?"

"You know, next to jumping off waterfalls, going to that sushi place outside the village that you like-"

"The Sex Club," Sakura offered at him not remembering the name, her smile still wide.

"Yes then when we go I'll be able to figure out the actual name of the place," Shikamaru replied, making her laugh. "Anyway, we also have fully understanding your so-called messy family on the list."

That made Sakura laugh again. "Sure, but that last one probably doesn't need to be on there. I think you're close to fully understanding my family. There are just a few loose ends."

"Right, well until I fully understand, it stays on the list," Shikamaru replied, as that had made her laugh again, and he just smirked. "So tell me about this book of yours."

Sakura's smile lightened a bit, as she looked down at the book, then back at him. "You probably wouldn't be interested."

"Try me," was Shikamaru's immediate response. "Read some to me."

"Really?" Sakura questioned, seeing him nod, then she raised an eyebrow. Finally she adjusted to where she was turned more to face him, and comfortable against the pillows. "Fine, but I'm not starting back at the beginning."

"No problem, I'll try to catch on. I'm a fast learner." Shikamaru told her.

Staring at Shikamaru for another moment, finally Sakura smiled, and shook her head again. Then she started to read. She wasn't quite sure how long she had been reading to him, but it seemed to be about an hour when she looked up again from the book. Noticing he was asleep, she smiled. Setting the book down on her lap, she reached a hand over to rest on his face. Her smile widened, as she hummed. Finally removing her hand, she focused back on her book. _Only one more chapter, then I'll go to sleep too._

 **The next morning**

Finishing up pouring some creamer in her coffee, Sakura returned the bottle of hazelnut goodness to the refrigerator, and went back to stir her coffee. Her other hand was being used to hold open her book on the counter.

"When did you get up?"

Hearing Shikamaru's voice, Sakura looked up to see him walking out of the hall. His hair a little ruffled, and he was yawning. Something that Sakura found kind of adorable. "About an hour and a half ago, but I came out here a few minutes ago," she paused to sip her coffee, her eyes sliding over to his parents who were seated at the bar. Sipping her coffee again, her eyes went back down to her book. "You were sleeping so good that I didn't want to wake you."

Shikamaru's eyes widened at her words, as he stopped beside the kitchen counter. Scratching Tanks ears when he walked up to him. "Yeah, I did thanks for asking-"

"Oh I wasn't asking," Sakura interrupted him, turning to the next page in her book. "It's just from observation. You do remember that you slept in my bed last night right?"

That had Shikaku spitting out some of his coffee, and Yoshino raised an eyebrow. Her jaw dropped slightly.

"Sakura!" Shikamaru hissed at her saying that, as that had been exactly what he had been trying to avoid.

"What?" Sakura countered, looking up from her book to see Shikamaru's look, then she looked to his parents. "Oh no. It's not at all what you're thinking. We were just hanging out, well he was bothering me while I was trying to read my book. Then I read out loud, and he fell asleep. The end."

After Sakura's explanation, Shikamaru slapped a hand to his forehead, and groaned lowly.

Shikaku was chuckling at how his son was reacting. Yoshino, on the other hand, just offered a smile. "Well we didn't think it was anything else."

"I highly doubt that," Shikamaru muttered, then he focused in on Sakura's book. "How late did you stay up? When I fell asleep you were only a few chapters in, now you're almost done."

Sakura looked up at him, and smiled a bit. "I didn't sleep."

"Shocker," Shikamaru said with an eye roll. "Well you could have actually tried to get a little bit of sleep. Do you know how grumpy you get when you don't sleep?"

"I don't get grumpy," Sakura shot back, then she took in a breath. Pointing down under her legs where Shadow had been sitting under her. "I have three alarm clocks. This one, one that looks like this one, and one that you like to call Satan. She likes to personally scratch my face when I'm not awake to feed her."

Staring at Sakura for a long moment in silence, Shikamaru finally shook his head, and moved to go grab some coffee. "You're crazy."

"Calling me crazy is like calling yourself crazy," Sakura said, watching him pouring coffee in a mug. "You're my friend after all. Voluntarily. So you're the real crazy one."

Shikamaru, finished pouring his coffee, took a long sip, then turned to her. "Just finish your book. It stopped raining, so we can actually do work today."

"I'll try my best," Sakura replied, looking back at her book. "I can't wait to see how this book ends."

 **An hour and a half later**

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, as she stood frozen by the bar in the kitchen. Her eyes wide, as she stared down at the book in her hand. The last words running around her head. "What happens next?!"

"What is your problem?" Shikamaru questioned her, sitting up on the couch to look over in the kitchen where she was standing frozen.

"The book! It's over! What the hell kind of ending is that?!" Sakura exclaimed, as she closed the book and hugged it to her chest. "I want to curl up and die."

"I- Sakura?" Shikamaru questioned when Sakura had proceeded to literally get down on the floor of the kitchen. Having to get up from the couch now, as he couldn't see her with the bar blocking his way. Walking around to the other side of the bar and kitchen cabinets to see Sakura legitimately curled up on the floor.

At that moment, his parents walked in from the front porch. His mom coming around the corner of the cabinets and bar first to see Sakura on the floor. "Why are you on the floor Sakura?"

Shikamaru, who stepped over Sakura to grab a glass for water, turned to look at his mom as he filled the glass up. "She's dying."

Yoshino just stared down at Sakura on the floor, back at her son, then back at Sakura again. Leaning slightly over, she rested her hands on her knees to steady herself. "Would you like a sandwich once your done dying on the floor?"

That made Shikaku and Shikamaru laugh, Sakura on the other hand just sighed.

"Yes please," was Sakura's reply, as she clutched the book tighter to her chest. Tears were pouring down her face. "But, I don't know when that'll be because my life is ruined and I have nothing else to live for."

"Oh geez." Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes, and sipping at his water. He watched his mom move to start making the sandwiches for lunch, and having to step around Sakura. He set his glass down, and moved to where Sakura's feet were. "Hold on mom, I got this." He proceeded to grab Sakura's feet, and he pulled her so she was out of the kitchen and more towards the front door/living room area.

It actually had Shikaku laughing, as Sakura hardly even seemed to be phased by being moved. She just remained clutching her book, and staring at the floor.

Another fifteen minutes went by, lunch was done, and Sakura was still on the floor. Shikaku and Shikamaru were eating their sandwiches at the bar, and had both been glancing over to Sakura occasionally.

Shikaku looked from his son to his wife. "Is she really okay?"

Yoshino, who had been eating her sandwich from the other side of the counter tops after having cleaned up the kitchen a bit, just shrugged. "I don't know… Should we do something?"

At his mother addressing her question to him, Shikamaru sighed and set his sandwich down. "I got this," he said, getting off the bar stool. He disappeared down the hall to his bedroom, and returned a moment later. A little plastic bag in hand. Moving over to Sakura, he squatted down on the floor beside her. "Sakura?" He questioned at first. When she didn't respond, he opened the bag, and pulled out a sour gummy worm. He held it out in front of her face. "Want some?"

Seeing the sour candy was all it took for Sakura to move. Reaching her hand out, she took the gummy worm, and took a bite. In that moment, it was like the wall of silence broke, as she started babbling on.

All Shikamaru was able to understand was "infinities", "okay", and that it was "not okay". It wasn't until she went silent that he cleared his throat. "I listened to at least two-maybe three-chapters of that book, and I have no idea what anything you just said means," he said, then he handed her another gummy worm. "But, I'm sure it's a completely justifiable reason for you to be on the floor dying."

Having hardly listened to a word Shikamaru said, Sakura sighed heavily after eating the second gummy worm. "That book took something from me. Part of my soul."

"But it's all good though," Shikamaru told her, holding out another gummy worm. "Because it's just a book."

Instead of acknowledging anything he just said, Sakura took the gummy worm from him, and shoved it in her mouth. "My soul is gone."

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment, then he nodded. "Right… Well you can get your soul back later. Right now we need to get started on work for the party."

Sakura's eyes finally moved to look into Shikamaru's. "That's not how that works."

Leaning over slightly to get closer to Sakura's face, Shikamaru just handed her another gummy worm. "Well it is now, let's go!"

 **Later that evening**

The sound of Hinata's voice at the door had Sakura sitting straight up on the couch. Her eyes glaring over at her blue haired friend who had just walked through the door that Shikamaru had opened. "You bitch!"

"Nice to see you too," Hinata replied, having been loving on Shadow and Tank who had come to greet her. One hand remaining behind her back, as she grinned when she noticed Sakura holding up the Fault In Our Stars book. "So you finally finished it? I figured you would."

"Yes I freaking did. I finished this damn book that you were just so eager to give to me," Sakura started, still glaring darkly at Hinata. "You bitch, why would you do this to me? What did I do to make you hate me?"

"So you liked it?" Hinata asked, ignoring the questions, a grin still on her face.

"No- I mean of course I liked it! That's not the point!" Sakura replied irritably. "I will never be able to unread this book, and now it's ruined my life! I won't ever be able to love again!"

Rolling her eyes, Hinata shook her head. "Now you're just being dramatic."

"No! Gus died, then who knows what will happen with Hazel- Infinities- and okay- no it is not okay!" The last part of Sakura's words weren't really making sense, as thoughts about the book were circling her mind. Yelling in irritation, she threw the book at Hinata. "I hate you!"

Having caught the book, Hinata finally pulled her other hand out from behind her back. She held it out to Sakura. "Mocha milkshake with m&m's, chocolate swirls in the shake, and as much whip cream as they could fit in there. Still hate me?"

Sakura, who was close to tears at this point, hesitated then snatched the milkshake from Hinata. She turned away from her then, and sipped the milkshake. "I'm never talking to you again."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "You were bored, and asked me for a book to read-"

"Yes! I asked for a book to read!" Sakura interrupted, sniffling then. "Not a heartbreaking romantic love story that tears my soul apart!"

"Are you crying?" Hinata asked, crossing her arms.

"No," Sakura replied, sniffling again as she sipped at her milkshake. "I'm having an emotional breakdown."

This made Hinata laugh, as she slapped the book down on Sakura's head. "My god, you are too dramatic," she says before shaking her head. "And here I was going to tell you about how they made it into a movie-"

"No, no, no!" Sakura interrupted, turning back to Hinata, evident tears down her face. "Don't tell me that!"

While that made everyone laugh, Hinata's eyes went to the coffee table. A bag full of candy rested on top of the glass. "Somebody went to the candy shop."

"Earlier Sakura and I were supposed to work, but she was so distracted because of the book, that I had to take her to the candy shop to get her mind off of it." Shikamaru explained, a smirk on his face.

Nodding at his method, Hinata reached over and plucked a butterscotch from the bag. "Distracting her works with cupcakes too. She likes the mini ones the best."

"Noted," Shikamaru said with a nod, his eyes going to Sakura who was sipping at her milkshake, and looked as if she hadn't been paying attention at all. "And mocha milkshakes?"

"Shut up." Was all Sakura said, as she turned away from him and Hinata. Angry, but at the same time the milkshake was calming her down a little. At least she wasn't crying anymore.

 **The next morning, June 13th**

Once he could tell he was no longer asleep, Shikamaru took in a breath, and stretched. He knew it was early without having to look. The question is: why is he awake? Finally opening his eyes, he looked to his right to his alarm clock. It was a little past five in the morning. Yawning, with plans to go back to sleep, he turned to his left. That's when his eyes met emerald.

"Good morning." Was Sakura's soft greeting from where she was laying next to him on the bed. Her hand propping up her head.

Realizing that was why he woke up, Shikamaru watched her for a long moment in silence, then finally he sighed. "We're going running?"

Smiling lightly, Sakura nodded. "Good news is that there are no clouds in the sky, so there should be no rain today."

At her trying to give him some sort of positive to getting up so early, Shikamaru just sighed again, and rolled over on his bed. "Make coffee."

"Already ahead of you on that," Sakura replied, getting up from the bed when she was sure that Shikamaru was going to get up. Moving to leave his room, she paused in the doorway. "Oh, and just to warn you. I already planned the rest of our day out. We're really behind on this party stuff, and maybe we can get ahead if we work hard enough."

"Sounds great." Was Shikamaru's tired reply. Watching her leave the room, he finally sat up on his bed, and rubbed his face. That's when his brain seemed to start to work, as a thought occurred. _She_ _already made coffee and has_ _planned out our entire day. How long has she been awake?_

Out in the hall, Sakura walked to her room. Inside, she grabbed her running shoes, and leaned over to pet Baby who was still on the bed. Shadow and Tank were already ready to go on the run with them, and were busy running around her room.

Sakura's thoughts transitioned from thinking about the run to how her whole being felt strained. She got maybe an hour of sleep over the whole six hours she actually was in her room to try and sleep overnight. Then the night before, the reason why she couldn't sleep wasn't because of the book. It was because she couldn't escape the uneasy feeling that had begun to consume her thoughts when she was alone. Usually when she'd get up in the morning and socialized with someone, the feeling would go away. But for some reason it hadn't yet.

The sound of footsteps at the doorway of her room got her attention. There stood Shikamaru, he hadn't yet got dressed, and was just in the shorts he slept in last night. "When exactly did you have time to plan out our entire day?" He asked, when she didn't respond, he frowned. "You didn't sleep last night did you?"

Again, Sakura was quiet for a long moment. Finally she let her eyes meet his, and she put a smile on her face. "It's fine."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so I know a lot happened in this chapter. Between the stormy weather, the book, and now Sakura's uneasy feelings. What do you think this is stemming from? Could it be that she's getting followed again? Or do you think something else is going on? My favorite scene was between Sakura and Shikamaru out in the rain, or the scene of them after their showers that night. What was your favorite?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	13. A Bad Feeling

_Review:_

 _The sound of footsteps at the doorway of her room got her attention. There stood Shikamaru, he hadn't yet got dressed, and was just in the shorts he slept in last night. "When exactly did you have time to plan out our entire day?" He asked, when she didn't respond, he frowned. "You didn't sleep last night did you?"_

 _Again, Sakura was quiet for a long moment. Finally she let her eyes meet his, and she put a smile on her face. "It's fine."_

* * *

 **Later that afternoon**

There was a slight whistle of wind coming in from the front door, seeming to be left over from all the strong weather they had the past few days. The door was open, as Shadow and Tank were out roaming around.

"Hmm," Yoshino's hum was heard as she walked out of the hall her bedroom was off of, and moved to go sit on the couch next to her husband. Her eyes, however, were focused in on Sakura. "Sakura, dear, you look awfully tired."

"It's all good." Was Sakura's reply from where she was having to prop her head up with her hand on the opposite couch to the one Yoshino sat down on.

Shikaku was looking from his son to Sakura. "I can't believe you managed to get Shikamaru to go running early this morning, again."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at his dad's words. "It's not that unbelievable."

Sakura put a smile on her face, as she hummed. "I just have that right charm about me."

"Tch," Shikamaru started, rolling his eyes once again. "Your version of charm is what I like to call annoyance."

"I think you have it backwards," Sakura replied back, then she yawned and sat up. "Okay, we've taken a long enough break. It's time to get back to work."

Taking Sakura's wrist to look at her watch, Shikamaru shook his head. "We only had fifteen minutes to eat lunch, and it's only been five minutes since then."

Sakura's eyes went to Shikamaru, as she took her arm back from him. "Exactly, that was long enough."

Yoshino offered Sakura a smile, as she picked up her book from the table. "Honestly, I think the both of you should take the rest of the day off. You got so much work done this morning."

"That's not necessary-"

"You could use a nap," Shikamaru interrupted Sakura, noticing her frown. "You didn't sleep last night, then you wanted to go on this ten mile run, and haven't stopped moving since then."

"Can we not bring up the part about me not sleeping? That's not that unusual," Sakura shot back, then she sighed heavily. Shaking her head, she stood up, and turned to face him. "That's okay, we don't have to work anymore for the day. I'll just go to the hospital, and do some work there. There's always something to be done-"

"I don't think so."

That voice stopped Sakura cold, and her whole body froze up. Clenching her fists, she turned finally, and looked over to the front of the house. Hinata stood in the open doorway, Shadow and Tank had just come inside, and their tails were wagging. "I-"

"Sit down," Hinata interrupted Sakura, closing the front door behind herself, then she walked over to her pink haired friend.

Sakura only stayed where she was, and frowned. "I have work to be doing-"

"No, you have creating more work to do. There's a difference," Hinata said, moving her hand to Sakura's shoulder to push it down. "Now sit."

Sitting down after losing her balance from Hinata pushing on her shoulder, Sakura crossed her arms, and glared darkly at Hinata.

"I asked you to come over today because I wanted to talk to you, and you said you couldn't because you're working all day," Hinata started, a hand propped on her hip. "Then when I come over here, I overhear you creating work for yourself. On top of that, you confirmed something I already knew; you haven't been sleeping."

"She didn't sleep last night," Shikamaru confirmed, his eyes focusing on Sakura, but he was addressing Hinata. "The only thing she said was that it was fine."

"It wasn't just last night. When I came over here yesterday evening, I could tell just by looking at her that she hadn't been sleeping," Hinata replied quick, as her eyes went back to Sakura. She propped her other hand on her hip. "How long has this been going on?"

The only response Sakura gave was a long sigh, then a lot of incoherent mumbling. Her eyes remained focused down on the coffee table.

"Sakura!"

"Just a few nights." Sakura admitted quickly after Hinata's loud exclamation. Rubbing her temples irritably.

"So the night that you said you were reading-"

"Obviously I lied." Sakura interrupted Shikamaru, glaring at him.

"Why?" Hinata questioned, ignoring Sakura's words to Shikamaru.

Sakura's eyes went to Hinata then. "That's a pretty broad question."

Rolling her eyes at Sakura's sarcastic tone, Hinata decided not to comment on it. "What is keeping you from sleeping?"

Sakura's look softened after a moment of silently glaring at Hinata, and she finally sighed. "I've just had a bad feeling. I just started to think about the recent encounters with my not-so-friendly visitors, and at first that's all it was..."

At Sakura not continuing, Hinata sighed. "And now?"

Shrugging, Sakura rubbed her forehead. "I don't know. The past few nights I've just started to get this anxious feeling. Like something wasn't right… It wasn't until today that the feeling carried on past the point of getting out of bed. Usually it would just be when I was trying to sleep."

"Oh Sakura," Hinata sighed once again, this time not holding any irritation. "You can't worry about it. It's going to drive you crazy. You really need to get some sleep."

"It's not like I-"

"This isn't surprising. You obsess over things you can't control until you can't sleep," Hinata interrupted Sakura, shaking her head, as her eyes went up to the ceiling. Sighing heavily. "There is no reason for you to be thinking about the past Sakura. You can't do anything about it. You not sleeping because of it is a problem-"

"I don't have a problem!" Sakura exclaimed, interrupting Hinata, and it lead to dead silence in the room. Pushing herself up from the couch, Sakura faced Hinata, and met her eyes. "You need to stop worrying about me Hinata; I'm fine. Not sleeping for me is like breathing for normal people. I'm fine!"

Having been taken slightly off guard at Sakura's outburst, Hinata recovered, and took a step closer to Sakura. Her eyes narrowed. "Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?" Her questions were answered with silence, and she finally turned to leave. "Don't bother going to the hospital. I'm going to make sure they know that you haven't been sleeping, and that certainly will keep you from doing any work on patients."

That was the last thing Hinata said before she left. Leaving the rest of them in silence.

"That was a little much," Shikamaru started, watching the back of Sakura's head. "She was just concerned about you… I asked you more than once over the past few days about how you've been making all these plans to stay busy. Then this morning, I asked you about not sleeping-"

"If I wanted to talk about it, then I would have!" Sakura snapped at him, having just slapped both of her hands to her face, as she sighed irritably. "You and Hinata need to just mind your own damn business!" After that exclamation, she left the living room to go to her room. The sound of her door slamming shut was heard. Both Shadow and Tank got up from where they were, and went after her. Whining a little as they did.

Yoshino's eyes went to her son to see his frown. "She'll talk when she's ready to. You can't push her."

Shikaku nodded in agreement with his wife. "That woman seems like the type to only push back if you push her too much."

"That's the thing though," Shikamaru said, sighing in frustration, as he rubbed his forehead. "I have a feeling that she won't ever be ready."

 **Later that evening**

The air in the Nara house had shifted from tense back to normal soon after the incident that afternoon. Sakura had finally emerged from her bedroom after a couple hours, and had apologized to Shikamaru. She also apologized to his parents for having acted like that in front of them. Saying it was her lack of sleep, but she shouldn't have taken it out on Shikamaru.

Sakura was now seated at the bar, and she was watching Yoshino who was in the middle of spot cleaning the kitchen. She had been sipping at some tea, and was chatting with the older woman. "This isn't exactly unusual for me. I'm an anxious person, and not being able to sleep sometimes because of it just comes with the territory. This time it's me having a bad feeling that can't be explained."

"I understand," Yoshino said, finishing up her cleaning, then grabbing her own cup of tea. "My friend has anxiety, and it always seemed to be more complicated then just saying not to worry about it."

"Exactly!" Sakura agreed, then she sighed. "Hinata knows that too. But I think today was just a matter of her annoyed with me not just telling her in the first place. Any other time she is always very understanding about it."

Yoshino offered Sakura a smile. "Well hopefully you might be able to clear your head enough tonight to get some much needed sleep. Maybe you should have another cup of that chamomile tea."

"Maybe it can get rid of this bad feeling I have," Sakura agreed, finishing off her cup of tea that she had. Setting it down on the counter, she stretched her arms up, and yawned. "I-"

Shadow and Tank's whining interrupted Sakura's words.

Sakura's eyes moved downward to look at her dogs who were laying on the floor by her bar stool. "Is it time for bed boys? I thought I raised you two to never sleep. Well that's what it feels like sometimes."

That made Yoshino and Sakura laugh. The sound of Shikamaru's and Shikaku's laughter joining them was heard, as the two walked out of the sun room. Going to settle down by the shogi board that was already set up on the coffee table.

The laughter was put to a stop when Shadow and Tank's whining started up again. This time Shadow got up, and moved to the door. He preceded to begin to pace from the door back to Sakura. When Tank followed suit, Sakura frowned, and got off the bar stool. Kneeling down, she brought her hands to them when they returned back to her. "Okay, we'll go outside first, then we'll go to bed. What's with all this whining?"

The dogs whining continued on, even with Sakura close to them. It wasn't until Sakura stood back up to walk to the door, that the dogs started to bark at her. Turning to face the dogs with her eyes wide at their barking.

"Hey, stop!" Shikamaru had to slightly raise his voice to be heard over the dogs barking. Due to the dogs being well trained, they quieted down at the command.

Shikaku raised an eyebrow in the direction of Sakura. "What are they barking at?"

"Me," Sakura replied, her voice showing that she was completely surprised. Kneeling down to pet them again, a frown on her face. She had noticed that their barking scared Baby away. "They don't ever bark at me like that."

"Maybe they just need to go out." Yoshino suggested, having been surprised by the dogs loud barking, as she had been focusing on putting more water in the tea kettle.

Straightening back up, Sakura turned to go back to the door. However, with her hand just inches from the door, the dogs were back to barking at her. "Boys," she started, her tone was enough to get them to stop, then they were back to whining. Her brain was quick to come around to what the reason was. "They don't want me to go outside..."

That had Shikamaru raising an eyebrow. "That doesn't make any sense."

Shikaku had stood up from the couch, and moved to one of the big windows. Pulling back the curtain, he turned on the porch light. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary."

Turning to the door again, Sakura's frown deepened, as she reached a hand up to rest on the door. In that moment, an overwhelming sense of darkness spread over her body. That anxious feeling that had been eating at her increased, and she gasped at the familiarity.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked, standing up as he could tell that there was indeed something out there.

"No, damn it," was what Sakura said, having not heard Shikamaru's question. Moving to do quick hand signs, she summoned a slug to her hand. "Kazu, I need you to tell Tsunade that I said they are in the village, and that she needed to up security now. Tell her I'm leaving the village, and hopefully that'll get them to follow me."

"What?!" Shikamaru questioned alarmed.

Kazu hummed, and seemed to disapprove what Sakura had said to do. "You need to wait for back up. Tsunade won't be happy-"

"I'm not just going to wait around," Sakura interrupted quickly. "I am handling this by myself. Just tell Tsunade what's going on. I want her to make sure everyone in the village stays safe while I take care of this."

While she still seemed to disapprove, Kazu hummed again after a moment. "Very well, be careful Sakura."

After Sakura's slug summon disappeared, Sakura took off to go grab her weapons from her room. Once in her room, she started gearing up, and attempting to slip on her shoes at the same time.

"Hold up." Shikamaru's voice was heard first, as he entered his room. His parents not far behind.

Yoshino was the next to speak. "What's going on exactly?"

"My unwanted friends are in the village," was Sakura's reply. Finishing up putting on her weapons, she adjusted her shoes on her feet. "Shadow and Tank sensed them first. That's why they were barking at me when I tried to go outside."

Shikamaru held out his arm to stop Sakura from walking past them. "I'm going with you."

"No, you're not." Sakura replied, as she pushed past his arm to walk out of her room.

"You're not going by yourself," Shikamaru started, as he followed her. His parents not far behind him. "The last time they attacked you in your apartment-"

"No, the last time they attacked me was when we were all outside the village together," Sakura interrupted him, pausing by the front door to turn and face him quickly.

That had taken him off guard, as Shikamaru had to move up on his toes to stop fast enough to keep from running into her.

Sakura brought her hands to Shikamaru's shoulders, and she looked in him in the eye. "I need you to stay here. I can't risk you getting hurt for my sake. We already had one close call, and that is one more than what should have happened. Please stay here..." She trailed off for a long moment, her eyes holding his. Finally she let her hands fall from his shoulders, and she turned to leave.

At Sakura leaving, Shadow and Tank went crazy barking. Yoshino focused on trying to calm them down. Shikaku, on the other hand, moved to stand beside his son. "I'll go meet with the Hokage. She should be at her office by the time I get there. Are you coming?"

Shikamaru didn't reply, as he had turned to look out the window. Watching Sakura, until she disappeared into the dark night. Completely silent.

 **Close to the North Wall**

Taking to the wall, Sakura got to the top and jumped over. She could sense the enemy having caught onto the obvious trail she was leaving them. When her feet hit the ground outside the village, she took off running. At first she wasn't sure where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get the hell away from the Leaf village. A plan was bound to come to her at some point. _Hopefully._

Running until she reached a large clearing around 10 miles from the village, she stopped in the center of the clearing. Time slowed down around her, as all she could hear was the sound of her heart beating. Knowing that any second the enemy would reach her. Clenching and unclenching her fists, she knew their numbers, and while it wouldn't be easy, she could take them down. She didn't have a choice.

The sound of her heart pounding in her ears was broken with the first of the enemy arriving to the clearing. Then it began in a whirlwind of chaos that started with a clang of metal from her katana meeting one of the enemies dagger. The symbol of a circle with the line down the center catching her eye all over the place. Taking in a breath, she turned, and her attacks became explosive. Not having to hold back like she would if she was still in the village.

She kept her ground over the next ten minutes of fighting, and it wasn't until she received a hit to her shoulder that had her stumble. Although instead of what she expected to be the turning point for the enemy, the ones in front of her were frozen to the spot. _What the-_

"Shadow strangle jutsu!" The exclamation came from beyond the tree line, before the owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows once the enemy was down.

"Shikamaru, I asked you not to come-" Sakura broke off to turn and slam her fist into an enemy coming at her right. Turning back to face Shikamaru, her eyes full of anger. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"This isn't exactly the time to yell at me Sakura." Was the only reply Shikamaru gave, as he turned away to capture more enemy in the shadow possession jutsu. Just in time for Choji to roll out of the forest, and knock over the enemy like a bowling ball to bowling pins.

Ino dropped down from the trees after following up with some explosive kunai to the enemy that Choji missed. Her eyes met Sakura's. "Here I am again, having to save your ass."

While Ino's voice held a hint of humor, Sakura's was beyond outraged. "This isn't a fucking joke Ino, you guys need to leave-"

"Trust me no one is laughing," it was Hinata's voice, as she showed up with Neji, Sai, and Naruto. Each taking on some of the growing enemy numbers.

Having to fight off some enemy of her own, Sakura finally got a chance to speak again when she landed near where Sai and Naruto were. "Do you two not understand what not being involved means?"

Having just used his rasengan on one of the enemy, Naruto took in a breath, as his eyes darted to Sakura. The usual fire in his eyes when it came to a fight. "Do you not understand what being a team means?!"

Sai nodded in agreement with Naruto. "We told you from the beginning that we always have your back. No matter what!"

Growing increasingly irritated with how everyone here was completely risking their lives for her sake, Sakura growled and went back to fighting. Her anger fueling her attacks. She wasn't quite sure how long the fighting had gone on. All she knew is that it got to a point where the enemy had got a little too close for comfort, and she took head in the fighting then. Taking a stance in front of her friends, she brought both her hands together in front of her chest. Closing her eyes, she took in a breath.

Knowing very well what kind of jutsu Sakura was using, Hinata's eyes widened. "Sakura, don't do that! You know what that jutsu does-"

Hinata was interrupted with a strong wind starting up. Funneling towards Sakura, then spinning around the clearing. The water in a pond towards the north side of the clearing starting bubbling and shooting upwards. The ground beneath them seemed to shake. Finally Sakura lurched forward to hit the ground in front of the enemy. Unlike one of her normal punches, the explosion was magnified. Light went up in the air that became almost suffocating to everyone.

After the explosion ended, the smoke began to clear slowly. The enemy either annihilated or they fled. Sakura remained where she was, lowering her arms to her side. The effects of the jutsu were taxing on her already strained body. The injuries she received prior to the jutsu, along with the lack of sleep she's had, made it seem ten times worse. She began to feel shocks go down her spine, then through her whole body. Feeling a sharp throbbing pain in her head her eyes moved upward. The last thing she saw was the starry sky above, before everything went dark.

 **An hour later**

Having been at the hospital for the past hour, Sakura had been unconscious the entire time, and her friends were hanging out in the hall outside her room.

"Damn, I knew Sakura had something going on," Ino was saying, her arms crossed from where she was leaning against a wall in-between Choji and Sai. "But, I never guessed it was something like this. Those people were all there after her?"

"Yeah they were." Was Hinata's quick reply. Having been more focused on watching Sakura's door to her hospital room. She did get to sit with Sakura alone when they first got her here. But, the last twenty minutes she had to step outside.

Naruto frowned, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Neji and Hinata know all about it."

His words had Hinata sighing, and shaking her head. "Naruto."

"Thank you for including me into this." Was all Neji said.

Ino took on a look of annoyance. "That's not fair that you two are the only ones who know what's going on-"

"Actually," Hinata interrupted, getting a hint of irritation in her voice. "It's not our fault that Sakura hasn't told anyone else. We encourage her to all the time."

"Why don't you two just tell us then?" Ino countered.

"Okay," Neji interrupted before Hinata could speak. Knowing by the growing look of irritation in her eye that this conversation wasn't going to end well if it kept going like it was. "We're not going to say anything because Sakura asked us not to. If you want to know, take it up with her."

"That would be a lot easier if she wasn't unconscious right now." Sai pointed out.

Giving up on her quest to figure out what was going on, Ino's eyes went to a clock on the wall. "It's past midnight."

Choji, meeting Ino's eyes, nodded back at her. "We want to make sure Sakura's okay and all, but-"

"Go ahead," Hinata interrupted with a nod of her head. "I know you two have a mission tomorrow morning, and you need some sleep. I'll be sure to let you know if anything happens."

"Thank you," Ino replied, smiling when her eyes met Sai's. "We should hang out after I'm back from my mission."

"Just tell me when." Sai replied, actually smiling back at her.

Choji, meanwhile, was focusing on Shikamaru. He was leaning with his back against the wall, his eyes closed. "Uh, we'll come by when we get back from the mission."

Humming lowly, Shikamaru nodded his head once, as he opened his eyes. "Right." He replied, watching as Choji and Ino left. That was the first thing he said since they had brought Sakura to the hospital. Outside the village, after Sakura's jutsu, it was like almost slow motion to him when she started to fall backwards. He had moved without thinking, and all of a sudden she was in his arms. Unconscious. In that moment he felt all sorts of feelings that he was having trouble unscrambling now that he was back to thinking with a clear head. All he knew is that she certainly scared the crap out of him.

The sound of the door to the room Sakura was in caught their attention. Out walked a nurse first, who started down the hall. Then came Tsunade, her eyes going to each of them, then to Hinata. Giving the blue haired woman a nod.

That was all Hinata needed to walk past Tsunade and into Sakura's room. No words to exchange.

Looking at everyone else, Tsunade crossed her arms. "I don't want anymore conversation about the events of tonight to happen inside that room. Is that understood?" While she was addressing everyone, her eyes were more specifically on Sai and Naruto. When they both nodded, she herself nodded, and stepped out of the doorway to allow them to go in.

It seemed to be just the right time for them to come in, as Sakura appeared to be waking up. At first her expression was relaxed, until her eyes were able to focus. Seeing where she was, she moved to push herself to sitting up. "Oh hell no!"

Tsunade, who had walked back in as she heard Sakura's exclamation, held a hand up. "Sakura-"

"I'm not staying here," Sakura interrupted, as she pushed the covers off of her. Her eyes meeting Tsunade who was still looking as if she was going to disagree. "I am not kidding Tsunade, if you admit me, then try to have anbu keep me here, you will have one less anbu unit in this village!"

At Sakura calling out exactly what she had planned to do, Tsunade sighed, and was quiet for a moment. Finally she crossed her arms. "Fine. I won't admit you."

"Uh no," Hinata spoke up almost immediately. "She needs to stay here."

"Oh for the love of- We're not listening to her Tsunade," Sakura started irritably. "She's already done enough to piss me off tonight! They all have!"

Hinata's eyes went wide, but she was quick to snap back at Sakura. "What? Us coming to make sure you wouldn't get yourself killed? Sue me for actually giving a crap if my best friend lives or dies!"

That actually had Sakura's look soften, as her eyes went to Hinata finally. "Okay, I'm sorry… But I'm still really freaking mad at you."

"Shocker," Hinata replied with an eye roll, before she looked at Tsunade. "If she doesn't stay here, then she's going to need a hell of a lot of medicine at home."

Sakura groaned hearing that. "Um no thank you!"

"I'm already ahead of you on that one, I guessed she wouldn't want to stay, and I already wrote out a prescription for her," Tsunade replied in a whisper to Hinata so Sakura wouldn't hear, pointing to Sakura's chart to show Hinata. "It can be picked up tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"Um, I can hear you to whispering about me," Sakura said, clearly getting increasingly irritated when Hinata nor Tsunade said anything back. "Hello-"

"Why does she need medicine exactly?" Shikamaru interrupted Sakura, as his eyes were focused in on Tsunade and Hinata.

"Yeah why?" Naruto asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Isn't it just exhaustion?" Sai added.

"It's more than that-"

"Alright Sakura," a nurse entering the room started, interrupting Hinata from speaking. She walked over to the pink haired woman's bedside, and held out a small plastic cup with pills in it and a cup of water.

Sakura's eyes just glared down the pills. "I'm not taking those."

Tsunade crossed her arms again here. "Take it or you are going to stay at the hospital tonight, and for the next few days-"

Sakura reached for the pills and the water so fast, Tsunade didn't have to say more. After taking the pills, Sakura slapped the cup on the small table beside the hospital bed.

Nodding at seeing that Sakura had actually swallowed them, Tsunade's eyes went to the nurse. "I'll be needing her discharged."

The nurse nodded, as she took Sakura's chart. "I'll let the attending who admitted her know, and a resident should come by to handle the paperwork as soon as they can."

After the nurse left the room, Tsunade sighed as her eyes studied Sakura. Finally her focus went to Hinata and Neji, and she lowered her voice. "I'm going to go see if anything has been heard from the anbu units I have out. I trust you two can see to it that she doesn't get out of control."

"We can handle it." Hinata had replied, as Neji just nodded.

It took almost an hour before Sakura was able to be discharged. Over that time there was some conversation, as Naruto and Sai were trying to distract Sakura from impatiently waiting on the resident to show up. However the conversation soon died down once Sakura fell asleep. The combination from how exhausted her body was and the medicine was enough to knock her out. When Sakura did fall asleep, Neji took that opportunity to convince Naruto and Sai to call it a night, and he left with them. Leaving just Hinata and Shikamaru behind.

So naturally when it did come time to leave, Shikamaru was the one carrying Sakura back to his house, as Hinata was holding some of Sakura's weapons. The lights were on in his house, despite it being around one in the morning. As soon as they got inside, Shadow and Tank were all over them.

Hinata had to try and love on them to keep them from jumping up at Sakura.

Both Shikaku and Yoshino were still awake, and had stood up when they arrived. Yoshino already held a motherly look of concern at Sakura unconscious. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Shikamaru replied, looking down at Sakura in his arms, and he frowned. Her facial expression was peaceful, but the events of the last few hours were certainly not. "I'm going to put her in her room."

It wasn't until after Shikamaru placed Sakura on her bed that Hinata stepped into the room. Moving over to the bed, she looked to him. "I'll take it from here. I'll get her changed into something else."

Shikamaru remained standing where he was. Staring down at Sakura with his frown still on his face.

"Shikamaru?"

Finally Shikamaru left the room, he let Shadow and Tank go in before he shut the door, then he moved back to the living room. When his eyes met his parents, he hesitated before he moved to sit down on the couch across from them. "You know that I left a couple minutes after Sakura. The first place I went was to Neji's apartment, because I didn't know where Hinata lived. Neji, had went to alert Hinata, then I guess they both went to get Naruto and Sai. I was about to go after Sakura, as I had a Shadow clone tailing her to know where she was going. But I stopped to ask Ino and Choji to come with me, because I knew I could count on them."

"Ino's mother had contacted us to ask what was going on," Yoshino said, watching her son frown. "Saying you and Choji came to her door to get Ino, then you all left without saying anything."

Nodding his head, Shikamaru explained the rest of what happened once they got to where Sakura was. Then how they had been in the hospital for the past couple hours. Sighing when he was done, he rubbed his forehead. "They way those people were coming after Sakura was… I've never seen someone attack so viciously."

There was a knock on the front door, and with the motion of Shikaku, Neji walked in. "Naruto and Sai went home, I had to all but physically stop them from going to question the Hokage."

"That's to be expected," Hinata's voice was heard, as she appeared from the hall Sakura's bed was on. Moving over to where the Nara's were, she stopped beside Neji. Her eyes going to Shikamaru, as she studied him for a moment. "You get two questions. Don't waste either of them on asking me any specifics on why, because I will not answer them and neither will Neji. It's up to Sakura to talk about that."

"How long have they been after Sakura?" Shikamaru was quick to question, as he clasped his hands together. "She told me it had been a while, but how long is a while?"

"Since she was born." Hinata replied, already able to tell that had not been what he was expecting. "I found out about all of this when Sakura and I were 12, Neji found out a year later."

It was quiet for a long moment, then Shikamaru spoke again. "What did Sakura do to have this happen to her? I know you said not to ask what it is they are after-"

"It's not so much something she did, so much as what's in her blood," Hinata interrupted him, sighing heavily then. "It's an unfortunate situation. You can see why she's so adamant on keeping secrets just by what happened tonight… And what happened when she was out of the village with your family."

"It's not her fault though..." Shikamaru trailed off, looking down at the coffee table, and bringing his hands together to think. _How has she managed?_

 **A couple days later, the 15th of June**

"You need to relax Shikamaru."

Hearing his mom's voice had Shikamaru stop taping his fingers on the arm of the couch. Although that didn't stop his mind from racing. Sakura hasn't woken up since she fell asleep in the hospital the day before last. Hinata had come by a few times yesterday to check in, and kept telling him that it was normal. That Sakura's body was just recovering from the jutsu she used.

Yoshino sighed when she noticed from the look in her son's eyes that he wasn't relaxing. "You need to shut your mind off too."

"That's a lot easier said than done," Shikamaru replied, rubbing his temples. "I keep thinking about the jutsu she did. If it caused this much of a side effect, why does she use it?"

"I'd like to study the jutsu," Shikaku spoke up, sipping at his coffee. "From what you said, it sounds intriguing."

"I'll have to show you sometime."

The sound of Sakura's voice had Shikamaru twist on the couch to look back at the hall their bedrooms were off of.

Sakura stopped once she took a step into the living room. Shadow by her side, and she had a hand resting on his head. Closing her eyes, she yawned. "Well maybe not anytime soon. Just by using it last night, I clearly caused enough drama to last a century."

"It wasn't last night," Shikamaru spoke up, his eyes glued on her. "It was the night before last. You've been asleep since you fell asleep in the hospital that night… You're actually awake."

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura put a half-smile on her face. "Are you sure? I might be dreaming- you might be dreaming."

"Knock it off," Shikamaru started up, clearly not amused with her attempt to joke. "You wanna talk about what happened?"

"What happened?" Sakura countered in attempt at more humor, but when she heard Shikamaru sigh, she knew she better lighten up on the jokes. "Oh you mean the night before last. Oh you know, that was just another unscheduled visit from my very not nice friends who are trying to kill me. A typical day in the life."

"I don't find this as funny as you apparently do," Shikamaru interrupted her, noticing a bit closer at Sakura keeping her hand on top of Shadow's head. "Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Holding your hand on top of Shadow's head." Shikamaru replied, an eyebrow raised when he noticed an almost look of nervousness cross her face.

"No reason," Sakura said after a moment of hesitation, walking forward with Shadow. However, she was brought to a quick stop when her foot jammed into the back of the couch that Shikamaru was on. Feeling severe pain starting from her toes all the way up her foot. "Ow, ow, ow!" She exclaimed, then she leaned down to grab her foot. Resting her forehead on the back of the couch, she sighed heavily. "Okay, so it might be possible that I can't see anything aside from blurriness."

"What?!" Shikamaru countered, his eyes wide, as she had lifted her head back up from the couch. "Are you serious?"

Frowning at him, Sakura slapped her hand down on the back of the couch. "What? Do you think I just purposely tried to hit my toes against couch for the hell of it? Plot twist, I'm actually a masochist."

A knock on the door kept Shikamaru from speaking. Eyes went to the door, as Hinata walked in after Shikaku motioned for her to. Tank running right over to her, but Shadow stayed by Sakura's side. "Good morning."

Groaning loudly at Hinata's happy sounding good morning, Sakura just motioned to what looked like the door. "Go away. I'm still mad at you."

"And look, this is me not caring," Hinata replied, walking over to stand next to Sakura she adjusted her friends hand to point to the actual door. "The door is here by the way, you were pointing more towards the window… Of course not being able to see and a little bit of double vision does that to you."

"How did you know that she can't see?" Shikamaru questioned, an eyebrow raised.

Hinata crossed her arms, and stared at Sakura. "Do you want to tell him, or shall I?"

Sakura sighed heavily, and crossed her arms. "Long boring story short, that jutsu I used can't just be performed by any random person. Actually to be quite honest it wasn't really a jutsu in the first place. This power of mine only becomes taxing on my body when I've already exhausted my chakra, and it doesn't help when I didn't sleep for a few nights. Even then, I have to tap into a very large portion of this power to actually have any side effects on top of those other factors."

"And this power is why people are after you." Shikamaru said after a moment of thinking.

"Tch," Sakura started, rolling her eyes, and humming. "Look at you using your brain."

"Stop it," Hinata hissed at Sakura, as she glared at her friend. "You're being unnecessarily bitchy this morning."

"Takes one to know one." Sakura shot back, sticking out her tongue in Hinata's direction.

"You are a child," Hinata said, sighing heavily, then she reached in her bag. Taking Sakura's hand, she placed a pair of glasses in it. "I got these for you. I wasn't sure if you'd be awake today, but I figured they'd be welcome when-"

"God," Sakura interrupted Hinata, as she moved to put the glasses on her face. "Where were you when I hit my foot against the couch?"

"Well I would have been here sooner, but I was digging through your closet to find these," Hinata replied, shaking her head with disapproval. "You should take better care of them."

"Well it wasn't like I intentionally just threw them in my closet. My life is a little bit of a mess Hinata, just ask my mom, she could have told you that years ago. She tells everyone that," Sakura replied, finishing sliding the glasses on her face. They were thick framed glasses. She squinted a little, and scrunched up her face a bit as she adjusted to them. "God I hate these things."

"Well, at least you'll be able to see a little better," Hinata replied, pulling a paper bag out of her bag, she moved over to the bar counter. Pulling out pill bottles. "Since my life has been revolving around you the past day and a half, I went ahead and picked up your prescription from the pharmacy. Plus I know if it was left up to you, you would never go get the prescription."

Yoshino was eying how many bottles of pills Hinata was pulling out, and raised an eyebrow when she finished with five bottles. "That's quite a lot."

"Well it's mostly antibiotics and supplements. After having this happen to her more times than I'd like to count, we've kind of got a system that works in helping her feel better faster," Hinata replied, starting to unscrew the tops on the bottles. "There's also something for her anxiety to help her sleep."

Laughing sarcastically, Sakura shook her head. "Oh no. I'm not taking any of that. It's unnecessary-"

"It is necessary," Hinata interrupted Sakura sharply, then she had to take a breath to try to speak more calmly. "You need the antibiotics and supplements because not only did your power cause side effects, but you did get a few injuries prior to that too. Don't even bother arguing with me about the anti-anxiety medication either. You have anxiety issues already, with everything that's happened over the past week, I know that it is affecting your sleep, and for all I know it could be affecting your judgment."

"Is this about me going out there alone last night- I mean the night before last?" Sakura asked, and when she didn't get a response she scowled. "For the last damn time, I am not going to apologize for trying to protect you all-"

"You made an incredibly stupid and reckless decision by doing what you did that night, and I'm not going to stand here and tell you that what you did was okay!" Hinata interrupted sharply. Glaring darkly at Sakura before she went to grab her a cup of juice to take the medicine with. "You can be as pissed off about it as you want, but you are going to shut up, take your medicine, and keep your head down for a few days!"

Silence followed Hinata's words. Sakura grumbled under her breath, then turned her head away from Hinata. Not saying anything.

Heading back over to Sakura with a cup of juice, Hinata handed her a handful of pills. Seven total. "Take them. Now."

Instead of arguing this time, Sakura did take the pills, but she still didn't say a word back to Hinata. She just kept on looking away from her.

After making sure Sakura swallowed the pills, Hinata nodded her head once. "Your parents are coming tomorrow."

That had Sakura choking on the second sip of juice she had. Coughing a bit, she brought a hand to her mouth. "You've got to be kidding me."

Shaking her head, Hinata crossed her arms over her chest. "They should be here in the morning."

"No," Sakura started, groaning as she rubbed her forehead. "Can this day get any worse?"

"Your parents are just worried about you-"

"No one should have told them in the first place," Sakura interrupted Shikamaru, glaring in his direction. Actually able to see now with the glasses on. "Then they wouldn't be worried at all."

"Yeah well if we didn't tell them and they found out about it, your mother would kill us all," Hinata replied, as she shook her head at Sakura's clear look of annoyance. "Now I have to go meet with Tsunade. I will come back here when we are done meeting. I'll let you know what happens."

"Okay."

"Don't drink any alcohol while this medicine is in your system," Hinata continued, as she took the cup back from Sakura to set on one of the side tables next to the couches. "And don't drink any coffee. You need to be trying to get some sleep, not staying awake."

"Okay, fine."

"And you need to take your medicine again by three at the latest if I'm not back by then-"

"Okay!"

At Sakura interrupting her with an annoyed sounding tone, Hinata propped her hands on her hips. "And you need to stop with the damn attitude!"

"Then stop telling me what to do," Sakura shot back in annoyance. "I already know how to care of myself mother."

Hinata laughed at Sakura's sarcastic use of "mother", and shook her head. "No actually you don't. And it's because I know that your version of taking care of yourself is to pretend you are perfectly fine even when you are clearly not, is why I remind you what it really means to take care of yourself."

"God you are so annoying," Sakura complained, as she growled with irritation.

"You better do what you are supposed to today Sakura. I mean it." Was the last thing Hinata said, then she went to the door to leave.

"I can take care of myself!" Sakura shot back, although Hinata already left out the door. Slapping a hand to her face, she turned, but found herself being tripped up by Baby. Leading to her following over smack onto the floor.

"Are you okay?" Shikamaru had questioned, as he had turned to look over the back of the couch and down at her on the floor.

"Ow." Was the only response Sakura gave. Shadow and Tank were just happy she was on their level now, and proceeded to step all over her. Wanting to play.

 **That afternoon**

Having woken up to the sound of conversation, Sakura had to blink a few times to adjust to the light in the living room. She yawned, and reached behind her head to the table beside the couch to grab her glasses. After putting them on, her eyes focused on the other end of the couch where Shikamaru was sitting. His eyes were already on her, and she frowned. "What are you looking at?"

Her annoyed tone brought a smirk to Shikamaru's face. "You're always so pleasant when you wake up."

Grumbling something incoherent under her breath, Sakura's eyes moved over to her right, and to her surprise, there was Neji sitting on the couch that was across from the one she and Shikamaru were on. The couch was an L shape so he was actually closer to her. When their eyes met, she raised an eyebrow. "Hinata's busy?"

"No," Neji replied, a smirk on his face. "I don't need that as an excuse to drop by and see you."

Sighing heavily after Neji stopped speaking, Sakura focused on petting Shadow who had lifted his head up when he noticed she was awake. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, I'm not allowed to drink alcohol with the medicine I'm taking. But, you're welcome to drink if you want, and I'll just watch while in a pool of depression."

That had made both Shikamaru and Neji laugh. Neji being the first to stop, as he shook his head at Sakura. "I wouldn't do that to you. To be honest, drinking isn't really my thing in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura countered almost as soon as he stopped talking. "You drink with me all the time. You love it."

"Actually, I have one or two beers while you drink until you don't know what your name is anymore, there is a big difference," Neji replied, then his smirk turned to more of a genuine smile. "I really only go out and drink because it's our thing."

That made a big grin show up on Sakura's face. "Aw, we have a thing," she said, then she almost looked as if she was going to start crying. "You're one of my bestest friends ever."

Chuckling at her expression, Neji shook his head, and picked up one of the pill bottles from the coffee table. "Just how much of this medicine are you taking?"

"Like fifteen..." Sakura trailed off, sniffling as she rubbed her nose.

Smirking back at Sakura, Neji set the pill bottle back down. "You're going to have to be a little more specific."

"What were we talking about?" Sakura countered.

"She's taking seven pills," Shikamaru answered as Sakura wasn't paying attention anymore, and just staring up at the ceiling. "She took some about an hour and a half ago around three when Naruto and Sai were here."

"Naruto and Sai were here?" Sakura questioned, lifting her head up from the pillows.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow back at Sakura. "You don't remember?"

Staring at Shikamaru in silence, Sakura blinked a few times. Finally she turned her head to look back at Neji. "Shikamaru doesn't know what he's talking about. Everything's fine."

"I didn't say everything wasn't fine-"

"Did I ask you?" Sakura interrupted Shikamaru, making both Neji and Shikamaru laugh. Sakura moved her focus back on Neji. "Trust me, I'm serious."

Reaching over, Neji took Sakura's hand in his, and patted the back of it. "Sakura, I hate to break it to you, but your word is the last thing I'm taking seriously."

"That's mean," Sakura shot back, as she took her hand back from him. "I'm telling Tenten."

"I don't know what that would do-"

"Your girlfriend loves me more than she loves you, so you're going to be in trouble." Sakura interrupted Neji, crossing her arms over her chest, as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Sakura." Was all Neji said, as he sighed and rubbed his temples.

Neji's clear displeasure with her having said that, had Sakura remember something. "Oh..." She trailed off, and her eyes flickered over to Shikamaru. "Neji and Tenten have been dating for a few months now, but I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

That had a smirk growing on Shikamaru's face. "And you don't see anything wrong here?"

Blinking a few times in silence, Sakura's eyes moved from Shikamaru to Neji, and she finally realized. "I'm sorry-"

"No," Neji interrupted, chuckling first, then smirking after. "It's about time we tell people anyway I guess."

"Good because I already told Hinata." Sakura said, rubbing her nose again.

"You what?" Neji countered, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah like three years ago..."

Noticing Sakura looking like she was spacing out again, Neji smirked. "We've only been dating for three months."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Was all Sakura replied with, as her eyes focused up on the ceiling. Then closed, her mind drifting back to unconsciousness.

Realizing Sakura was going back to sleep, Neji sighed, and looked to Shikamaru. "You've seemed to been handling this well."

Making sure Sakura was actually asleep now, Shikamaru turned his eyes back on Neji. "I'm trying. It wasn't even a full two weeks ago that she got attacked the last time. Somehow I'm finding this time to be a lot worse than last time."

"Well I think the best thing we can do is just be glad it wasn't any worse," Neji replied, his eyes studying Shikamaru's facial expressions. "It's not really my place, but it seems like this time may be worse because you feel differently about her this time."

That had Shikamaru raising an eyebrow, but on the inside he felt his heart begin to race. "I don't know what you mean."

Neji chuckled after Shikamaru's words, and he shook his head. "Maybe it's not that you feel any different this time. It's just that this time you realize that what you're feeling."

Shikamaru was quiet after that. Not giving any response back to Neji, as his eyes flickered over to Sakura. Studying her as a whole, then focusing in on her face. Her peaceful, beautiful face.

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter down. I had to do a lot of editing down on this chapter, because it would have ended up super long if I didn't. Who knows? Maybe those extra scenes can be used later on in the storyline. My favorite scene was by far the scene when Neji came over. What was yours?**

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	14. Goodbye Team 7

_Review:_

" _It's not really my place, but it seems like this time may be worse because you feel differently about her this time."_

 _That had Shikamaru raising an eyebrow, but on the inside he felt his heart begin to race. "I don't know what you mean."_

 _Neji chuckled after Shikamaru's words, and he shook his head. "Maybe it's not that you feel any different this time. It's just that this time you realize that what you're feeling."_

 _Shikamaru was quiet after that. Not giving any response back to Neji, as his eyes flickered over to Sakura. Studying her as a whole, then focusing in on her face. Her peaceful, beautiful face._

* * *

 **A couple days later, 17th of June**

Walking out into the living room with Shadow around six in the evening Sakura's eyes flickered over to the front door that was left slightly ajar, as she had picked up on the sound of chatter. Through the window she could see that Shikamaru's parents sitting with his aunt Sumiko and uncle Abari. Their daughter, Seina, was sitting on the porch next to Tank who was loving all the attention he was getting. Shikamaru had just walked up on the porch with Yoshio and Ronin to go sit down.

Shadow went first to the door. Pushing it open with his nose, he trotted over to Seina to get some attention to. Sakura followed shortly after, and reached down to scoop Baby up from the ground. Her eyes went to Seina. "If you keep spoiling my dogs like this, they are going to leave me."

That made Seina laugh, as she watched Tank get excited just by hearing Sakura's voice. "I think they like you no matter what."

"You've been asleep for six hours," Shikamaru's voice got Sakura's attention, his eyes had been focused on her since she stepped outside. "On top of the ten hours you had last night."

"I was tired, I only woke up for food," Sakura replied, smirking as she moved across the porch. Sitting next to Shikamaru on the bench, she held Baby close to her chest. "Priorities."

While that had the others laughing, Yoshino focused in on Sakura. "You're parents left a couple hours ago. Your mother wanted to remind you that you have some appointment at the hospital tomorrow morning."

"Just a follow up to make sure that my terrible life choices didn't ruin my chakra system or my body," Sakura explained, smiling when that had made Shikamaru laugh. "I'm glad they finally left. My mother was driving me crazy yesterday."

"I'm sensing that may have also been a reason as to why you went back to sleep after breakfast." Shikamaru told her, smirking.

"I'm not disagreeing with that," Sakura said, laughing then she stopped when it kind of caught her breath a little, and she coughed. Rolling her eyes as that had made Shikamaru show a look of concern. "Relax, I'm fine."

"Somehow you saying that your fine is losing it's meaning," Shikamaru shot back. "You're too stubborn to admit you aren't fine."

That had Sakura shaking her head. "That's not true."

"So you are admitting you are in pain?"

"No, because I'm not," Sakura replied, letting Baby free from her arms, then she crossed them. "But, I'm not stubborn."

"What other word should I use?" Shikamaru asked, still holding a smirk on his face. "Hardheaded? Difficult? Pain in the ass?"

"No, and before you start throwing a thesaurus of more words at me," Sakura started, an annoyed expression on her face. "Let me just get a chance to tell you a few words I'm feeling about you right now."

That made his family laugh, Sakura's attention went back to them. Realizing she hadn't really greeted them properly. "I'm sorry for being rude, I haven't even greeted you all yet. It's Shikamaru's fault."

Shikamaru's eyes went back to Sakura. "How can that possibly be my fault?"

"It just is," Sakura said, laughing as that made Shikamaru roll his eyes. "Don't worry I forgive you."

That brought up laughter again. This time Sumiko was the first to speak after it was over. "They just told us what happened a few days ago. Are you doing okay after all of that?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Sakura replied, lightly smacking Shikamaru's shoulder when he had started to laugh and shake his head. Her eyes going back to his aunt, she smiled. "Really I am. I admit that right after it happened, I was all sorts of not fine, but I'm much better now. It's not the first time something like that has happened."

"Shikamaru was talking about the jutsu you used," Abari said, stroking his beard. "Well not really a jutsu, but he said your power comes from your bloodline."

Nodding her head, Sakura rubbed her temples. "It's a big mess, and I don't really want to get into it. But, yeah it is. It comes from my dad's side. The rest of my family on my dad's side does have access to the power, but somehow I am the only one unlucky enough to have full access to it."

"Unlucky?" Yoshio questioned, an eyebrow raised. "It sounded cool, what you did that is."

Sakura put a smile on her face. "It's cool until I end up in the hospital because I used it when I shouldn't have."

"Wow, I can't believe I just heard you admitting that out loud," Hinata's voice was heard, as she just stepped up onto the porch. "Am I dreaming?"

"I don't know about you," Sakura started, a clear look of displeasure on her face as her eyes met Hinata's. "But I, on the other hand, feel like I've been in this non-stop nightmare where everywhere I look either you or my mother are hammering me about taking my medicine, and nagging me about taking care of myself. I would like to wake up sometime soon."

Rolling her eyes at Sakura's words, Hinata crossed her arms, and she smirked. "You're still taking your medicine right?"

"There it is. This nightmare continues." Was all Sakura replied with.

Yoshino smiled at Hinata. "I thought you were on a mission with your team today?"

"We finished it up quickly," Hinata replied back, as she smiled at Shikamaru's mom, then frowned at Sakura. "I'm just stopping by to make sure she's still taking her medicine."

"Tch," Sakura mumbled something incoherent under her breath, then spoke normally to Hinata. "You wasted your time. I'm all fine and taking the medicine that you and Tsunade practically have done everything except shove the pills down my throat."

Hinata's frown deepened, and her eyes narrowed. "So if I go and check the bottle, the right amount is going to be gone?"

That had Sakura shaking her head. "You don't have to do that."

"You see that's why I'm here to keep bothering you about taking your medicine." Hinata replied, as she moved towards the front door of the house.

"Where are you going?" Sakura questioned, her eyes widening when she noticed Hinata was going inside. Pushing herself up from the bench, she started towards the door. "Hinata stop! I'm not giving you permission to look through my stuff-"

"Ha! Like I'd ever ask permission, let alone care if you gave it to me or not." Hinata interrupted Sakura, laughing as she went inside.

"You need to relax," Shikamaru said, watching Sakura have to pause as she had gotten out of breath after walking all the way to the door. "You're still not one hundred percent."

"Shut up," was all Sakura replied with. Her eyes widened when Hinata appeared outside. The bag of her five pill bottles in hand. "Crap."

Hinata shook the bag of pill bottles, and counted the ones she could. "Yeah, there are too many pills in these bottles. You want to try to give me some excuse before I lecture you?"

Trying to snatch the bag from Hinata, Sakura sighed when Hinata had put it behind her back. "I didn't lie. I am taking them."

"Not three times a day like you are supposed to," Hinata said, frowning deeply at Sakura. "You do realize that you have to keep taking the medicine until it's gone, not until you feel like you no longer need it. When was your last dose?"

"I took some yesterday evening." Sakura admitted after a moment.

"And you are supposed to take one when you wake up and one in the middle of the day," Hinata added, no longer hiding the bag behind her back. "I know it messes with your mind a little, but it also helps you heal and not be in pain. You damn well know I will go to Tsunade about this. I don't know why you do it in the first place."

Sakura growled at Hinata's words, as she snatched the bag of pill bottles back from Hinata. "I'll take some after dinner."

At the mention of dinner, Yoshino's eyes went to Hinata. "We're just about to order something for dinner. Would you like to eat with us?"

"Sure," Hinata said, at the exact same time Sakura said "no."

"We'd love to have you," Yoshino said after laughing at Sakura's response.

Sakura just crossed her arms, and glared at Hinata who was clearly smiling a big smug smile her way. "I can't stand you sometimes."

"Likewise." Hinata shot back.

 **After dinner, an hour and a half later**

Since it was such a nice day, they ended up eating out on the porch. Some barbeque take-out that the guys went to go pick up. Sakura, as promised, took her medicine after dinner. It still hadn't kicked in, but Sakura was beginning to wish it would. Her head had began to ache, something that came from the strain she was using while trying to see. The glasses were helping, but not as much anymore.

"So has there been any news from the anbu or Tsunade?" Abari questioned his brother-in-law. "About the attack?"

"There hasn't been much," Shikaku replied, having actually gone to a meeting with Tsunade that morning about the incident. "It seems as if the enemy that remained after the incident are long gone. There's no trace of them inside or outside the village. They've even gone so far as to extend the search out to the borders of the Land of Fire, and there is still nothing."

"Well I have to say that's good news," Sumiko said, but she held a frown on her face. "But, at least if there was someone that they could fine, it'd be helpful in trying to stop them in the long run."

Sakura actually laughed hearing that, as she shook her head. "That's the thing. We could have found someone by now from their team. We could even take them all down. But, that would only give me at most a year before the next group comes along. I am basically a walking death trap-"

"Sakura!" Hinata interrupted sharply, frowning as she glared at Sakura. "I hate that you joke around like that. It's not funny."

"God would you lighten up?" Sakura countered, a frown on her face. "After how long this has happened to me, you still can't just laugh when I make a joke about it."

That had a very dark look appear in Hinata's eyes. "You want to know why I don't laugh? Because I have to watch all this stuff happen to you. I'm the one who see's you so beat up in the hospital that you can't even breathe on your own, I'm the one who watches you in pain for several days because your own powers can get so out of control, and I'm the one who watches you go through anxiety every day because these people are always around the corner. That's not funny. That's not something I laugh about."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Sakura replied, crossing her arms over her chest, and sighing. "That's just how I handle everything. I joke."

"Well just know that I'm not going to be laughing at that, ever," Hinata replied, before she sighed and rubbed her temples. "I can't laugh about it. Not when instances like this last time where you told me that something wasn't right beforehand, and I ignored you. I just told you that you were worrying for nothing. It could have been avoided-"

"You can stop right there," Sakura interrupted, now she was the one holding the anger in her eyes. "I think we already have established that I attract danger all on my own. You have nothing to do with it. Whether you take me seriously or not doesn't have anything to do with it. Either way, I would have been the one to sense the enemy that night. Prepared or not. You know damn well that, like a dumb ass, I would still go out on my own without you all, and you would stubbornly still come after me anyway."

Nothing was said after Sakura stopped talking. Hinata was silent, as she stared back at Sakura, who was rubbing her temples.

"Per damn usual, I somehow managed to get myself injured this time. It was my attack that put myself in this position, it had nothing to do with you," Sakura continued on, sighing finally, as she stopped rubbing her temple. "After how many years and how many times I have gone through this, you still sit there and feel bad, and try to make yourself feel guilty. I don't want to hear it! You have stood by me for so long, even when I don't want you to. But that doesn't give you any responsibility for what happens to me. It just means that you're a nice person who can't take a hint that your best friend is an extremely dangerous person to have any relation to."

When Sakura stopped talking this time, Hinata sighed. "Sakura, you know that I don't regret being your friend."

Finally dropping the anger from her face, Sakura crossed her arms, and hummed. "Because you're an idiot, but that wasn't the point I was trying to make."

Rolling her eyes now, Hinata crossed her arms back. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Sakura shot back, then she gave a nod of her head. "I'm serious though. I don't want you feeling bad. If anything, I want you to just keep on calling me a dumb ass every day, or whatever friends call each other these days. Either way, I'm over the guilty party you are throwing yourself. It's stupid."

"You're the stupid one. Miss. I'm going to go take care of this on my own, and get myself injured in the process." Hinata shot back quickly.

"That's more like it," Sakura replied, pulling her hair up into a neat bun, as she was noticing finally that they had the Nara's laughing on and off through the last bit of their conversation. Her eyes went to Shikamaru. "What's funny?"

"Don't worry about it." Was all Shikamaru replied with.

Over the next half hour, the mood was much more light and happy. Sakura's medicine had begun to really kick in, and it didn't become clear until they had started talking about her last few days.

"Yeah when Naruto and Sai were over the other day, you were practically on another planet," Hinata was saying, as Sakura was laughing. "You weren't making any sense."

At Sakura laughing more, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in Hinata's direction, then he looked back at Sakura. "Then when Neji came over, you started crying because he told you that he only drinks alcohol when he's with her, because it was your thing."

"Did I really?" Sakura questioned through her laughter, tears coming to her eyes from laughing so much.

Shikamaru nodded, grinning at her laughing. "Then you proceeded to let me know that Neji and Tenten were in a relationship, and that it was so obvious that everyone already knew anyways."

"Well everyone did already know." Sakura replied, having finally managed to stop laughing, as she was wiping her eyes.

"I didn't," Hinata said, at the same time that Shikamaru said "Not really."

Somehow that managed to start up Sakura's laughter again. This time it was harder for her to stop and catch her breath. "You're both hilarious, I love you guys." Her laughter continued on then. This time she didn't seem like she was going to stop.

"I love when she's on drugs," Hinata said, smiling as she moved to stand up from the seat she was in. Eying the Nara's. "I think I'm going to go ahead and go home. I've had enough of her crazy for one evening."

"Lucky you get to leave." Shikamaru joked, smirking at Hinata who laughed at that.

"Good luck." Hinata replied before she moved to leave. The sound of Sakura's laughter continuing on behind her.

Around another half hour went by, leading to the sun completely down, and they had to turn on the porch lights to see. Once Sakura's laughter had calmed down, she grew to more quiet and spaced out. The conversation had turned more as to what's going on with the party that was a little under two weeks away.

Shikamaru actually had to pay attention during the conversation since he and Sakura had actually been working on most of the main stuff for the party. His focus had been solely on the conversation until he felt pressure on his shoulder. Glancing over, he saw a lot of pink hair at first, then finally the rest of Sakura's face. Her eyes were closed, and she had apparently fell asleep. Watching her for a long moment, his eyes were focused on her face, and he thought about how comfortable he felt with Sakura so close.

"She finally fell asleep."

His mom's words got Shikamaru out of his thoughts, as he nodded finally. "I guess laughing for ten minutes straight does that to you," he said, his eyes going back to Sakura. Moving one arm around her, the other under her knees, then he picked her up. Careful as to not wake her up. "I'll be back."

After having his uncle open the door for him to walk through, Shikamaru walked into the house, and back to Sakura's bedroom. He could hear Shadow and Tank trotting to catch up with him. Once in her room, he set her gently down on her bed, and carefully slid the glasses off her face. Her covers had been kicked down to the bottom of her bed, which he assumed was result from her nap she took earlier that day. Grabbing them, he just managed to get them over Sakura before Shadow and Tank jumped on the bed. He smirked as he watched them make themselves comfortable around Sakura. Even when Baby jumped up on the bed to lay on the pillow behind Sakura's head, he was chuckling. _They all have their spot around her._

Standing there for another moment, Shikamaru turned to leave. Getting to her door, his hand went to the light switch, but he paused. Turning his head back to look at Sakura one more time. A smile formed on his face. _She's been a handful these past few days, but_ _it's been fun._

 **The next morning**

Opening her eyes, Sakura found herself staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. Blinking a few times, she found herself growing more confused by the second. Sitting up after a moment, strands of hair fell around her face, but the rest was up in a slept in bun. Moving to push the covers back, that had Shadow and Tank jumping down from the bed.

Stepping out into the hall, she blinked several times at the sunlight coming in from the big windows on the other side of the hall. Starting down the hall after her way too excited for the morning dogs, she yawned when they walked into the living room. It wasn't until she opened the door to let the dogs out, she turned around, and nearly jumped at Shikamaru and his parents. All of which were staring at her.

"Good morning Sakura." Yoshino greeted politely.

Shikamaru had a growing smirk on his face. "Does your hair always look that crazy when you wake up in the morning?"

Lifting her hands up to her hair, Sakura could tell it was definitely a big mess. Sighing heavily, she turned and walked to the kitchen. "I need coffee."

Watching Sakura until she came back over and plopped down on the couch next to him, Shikamaru still had the smirk on his face. "Don't worry, I like the crazy hair look. It matches your personality."

"Shut up, I didn't brush it this morning," Sakura shot back quickly, then she sipped at her coffee. "Did I blackout or something yesterday?"

"No you didn't. Why would you say that?" Shikamaru questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't remember anything after a little over a half hour after dinner," Sakura replied, once again sipping her coffee. "I told Hinata how stupid she was being for worrying, then I remember laughing. I think I blacked out."

"No dear," Yoshino started, a smile on her face. "You didn't black out. You just fell asleep."

"So I walked to my room and managed to put myself to bed without remembering it?" Sakura questioned, an eyebrow raised.

It was quiet for a moment, then Shikaku cleared his throat. "No, you fell asleep out on the porch. Shikamaru brought you inside to your room."

Sakura's eyes then went to Shikamaru. Watching him, but not saying anything.

At her staring at him in silence, Shikamaru looked away, and shrugged after a moment. "You're welcome."

"Thank you," Sakura told him, her tone soft and genuine. No jokes being made.

Shikamaru met her eyes once more, then he smirked. "You're not wearing your glasses today."

"Oh," Sakura said, having not realized that she could actually see on her own again. Then she smiled, as she leaned back against the couch cushions. "Well good news is that I can see again. Bad news is my head hurts like I'm hungover, but I haven't had a drink in a few days so that's not good."

"Look at you, one thing stops being a problem, then another problem pops up," Shikamaru started, grinning at Sakura's eye roll. "Relax, this is just another excuse for us to hold off working for the day."

Sakura sipped her coffee again, then she shook her head. "You know what? I think that you'll be fine working all on your own today."

That had Shikamaru stop grinning. "What?"

"Yeah, you've been so supportive of me not being fit to do much of anything," Sakura replied, a growing smirk on her face. "But, I don't think I could ask you to spend another whole day doing nothing because of me."

"That's very kind of you Sakura," Yoshino said, finding amusement at how clearly Sakura was trying to bother her son. "I think I've just got the right amount of paperwork for him to start filling out for the contracts for the people we're hiring."

"Oh would you look at that?" Sakura questioned, still smirking big at Shikamaru. "Your mom has something for you to do and everything."

That had Shikamaru frowning and staring darkly at Sakura. "You're evil."

His words clearly made Sakura happy, as she smiled brightly. "I know."

 **Later that evening**

It had been mainly quiet in the Nara house since Sakura had decided to go to bed early. Shikamaru and his dad were deep in a shogi game, and his mother was reading a book. All of their attention had gone to the front door when they heard knocking.

Yoshino got up from the couch, and went to open the door. Coming face to Sakura's blonde haired teammate. "Naruto, what can we do for you?"

"Is Sakura here?" Naruto asked, as he stepped inside at Yoshino's motion.

Yoshino nodded back at Naruto. "She's in her room."

"She said she wanted to go to bed early-"

"Okay, thanks." Naruto interrupted Shikamaru, as he moved down the hall Sakura's bedroom was off of. Opening the door to her room, his eyes went to her bed. Her bedside table light was still on, but she was laying snuggled up in her covers. "I have a problem."

Sakura who had actually just dozed off, groaned at hearing his loud voice. "Naruto, I was sleeping."

Crossing her room, Naruto sat down on the bed, kicked off his shoes, and laid down next to her. Bringing both of his arms back behind his head. "Tsunade won't let us go on any missions. She says that we're still close to the attack that happened a few days ago, and she doesn't want us leaving anywhere. But, how is that even fair of her to do that?"

"I don't know Naruto." Sakura sighed heavily, as she turned over to lay on her stomach.

 **Back in the living room**

The silence only lasted a few minutes before another knock was heard on the door. This time Shikamaru was the one to get up to open it. "Sai?"

Sai stepped inside, and his eyes went to Shikamaru. "Sakura?"

"In her room." Shikamaru replied, closing the front door back. Watching as Sai walked without saying another word to the hall his and Sakura's bedrooms were off of. "Okay then..."

Yoshino chuckled then. "It seems like Sakura's pretty popular today. First Hinata and Neji came by. Then her brother's girlfriend. Now both Naruto and Sai."

"She's had all the time in the world to socialize today," Shikaku started, a smirk on his face at his son. "Shikamaru's been the one who's been working today."

Shikamaru shrugged as he sat down. "I look at it this way, tomorrow she'll be all healed. Just in time to organize and send out all the paperwork I had to do today."

 **Sakura's room**

"Did you tell her about the problem?"

Sai's question was directed at Naruto as soon as he walked into Sakura's bedroom. Naruto was nodding back at Sai. "Yeah-"

"Oh no," Sakura said, groaning as she rolled onto her back in the middle of the bed. Shadow having got up to go lay down towards the bottom of the bed, as Sai had moved to lay down on the other side of her. "Seriously?"

Ignoring Sakura's words, Sai got crossed his arms over his chest. Staring up at the ceiling. "Tsunade can't just keep us here in the village like captives."

"You're not being held captive." Sakura pointed out, sighing heavily, as she had brought both her arms to cover her face.

Also not listening to Sakura's words, Naruto nodded in agreement with Sai. "Yeah, I haven't been out on a mission in almost a week. I feel like I don't even remember what the outside world looks like. Right Sakura?"

Sakura groaned at Naruto's words. "I was sleeping."

"Of course we don't blame you Sakura," Sai said, his eyes glancing briefly to her before back at the ceiling. "I mean you've been so busy with this party that you haven't gone out of the village on a mission in a while. You probably don't even remember what it feels like to go outside the village walls."

"Well considering the last two times I went of the village, I got attacked each time, I have a pretty negative idea of what it's like." Sakura replied, grumbling as she rubbed her face.

"Hinata told me about your late night cupcake runs, so that's not exactly true-"

"You forgot to mention that we were drunk both of those times, I barely remember doing either of our cupcake runs," Sakura shot back before she rolled over to lay on her stomach. Having difficulty with Sai and Naruto on either side of her, she finally made it to laying down on her stomach. "This bed is too small."

"You know, I honestly think it'd do you some good to go out of the village, sober that is," Sai started, his eyes on Sakura again. "And not have anyone attacking you for once."

"I'll get right on that." Sakura replied sarcastically, then she dropped her head on her pillow.

Naruto looked over to Sakura as well. "If anything, you could at least join us for training sometime. We miss you."

"I train."

That actually had both Naruto and Sai laughing sarcastically, before Naruto replied to her. "Not in the past week you haven't."

"I was busy dying a good four of those days, so that doesn't count. And I made commitments to work on the party-"

"I mean we don't ask for much," Sai interrupted Sakura. "We just want to see you more."

Naruto again nodded. "Yeah, we're a team Sakura. Team Seven trains together, not without each other. I mean it's like we don't even exist to you anymore."

"Oh yes you do," Sakura shot back, lifting her head back up, as she sighed heavily. "Right now, in this moment, I am very much aware of you two boneheads."

Frowning at Sakura's words, Naruto shook his head. "That wasn't very nice."

Sai's eyes met Naruto's. "I think she's just cranky."

"Of course I am!" Sakura exclaimed, as she sent glares to Naruto and Sai. "I'm trying to sleep!"

It was quiet for a moment, finally Naruto spoke up. "You should be nicer Sakura."

Seeing Sai nodding in agreement with Naruto, Sakura groaned lowly, and she put her pillow over her head. Unable to completely block out Naruto and Sai's words, Sakura sighed. "I give up."

 **The next morning, June 19th**

"What brings you by Hinata?" Yoshino questioned the blue haired woman, a smile on her face. She had been out on the porch watering some of the flowers that were on the porch.

"My dad wants to borrow a book from Shikaku, and since I'm available I thought it'd be nice to go get it for him," Hinata replied, moving to follow Yoshino inside. As Yoshino had left to go down the hallway to the left wall in the living room, Hinata's eyes went to Shikaku. "Mind if I grab that book my dad wanted to borrow?"

"Sure thing," Shikaku replied, as he got up from the couch. Starting down the hall to the left, just in time to come face to face with his son and wife.

"Mom, I'm up," Shikamaru was saying, as he clearly looked unhappy. "You didn't need to bang on my door."

"Well you were taking too long." Was all Yoshino replied with, as she and her son stopped when they met Shikaku and Hinata in the hallway.

Hinata's eyes focused on Sakura's door. "Is she still asleep?"

"I wouldn't know," Shikamaru replied, giving his mom a glare. "I just got up."

"I believe so." Yoshino replied to Hinata, ignoring her son's words, but gave him a glare harsh enough to stop the glare he was giving her.

Reaching over, Hinata opened the door to Sakura's room, and smirked at the sight. There was Sakura, Naruto, and Sai. All passed out on Sakura's bed. Shadow and Tank were squished at the bottom of the bed, and Baby was up on the pillows. "Well that explains why I overheard Kakashi and Yamato wondering where Sai and Naruto were." Moving to close the door back, Hinata shook her head, and laughed. "They always do this."

As Shikaku and Hinata had continued down to the end of the hall where the study was, Shikamaru and his mom followed. Shikamaru raising an eyebrow. "What all sleep on the same bed like that?"

"Sometimes," Hinata replied, laughing once again at the thought. "Team Seven invades personal space like it's second nature to them. I mean, it doesn't surprise me at this point. After how many nights Sakura has done the same to me, I should be used to it. So should you from what I hear?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he noticed that had his mom looking over at him, then his dad looking back at him. "I don't know what you mean."

"Sakura tells me that she has bothered you awake in the middle of the night because she needed someone to talk to," Hinata replied, pausing at the entrance to the study. Her eyes going back to Shikamaru, as she laughed again. "You need to back out now while you still can before she gets used to doing that. Or else you'll have many sleepless nights ahead of you."

"Right..." Shikamaru trailed off, remaining at the entrance of the study as his mom and Hinata followed his dad inside. His thoughts going to Sakura. How even though it had indeed irritated him when Sakura would wake him up in the middle of the night, but for some reason it didn't bother him that much. In fact he actually enjoyed a few of the conversations they've had. Smirking after a moment, he shook his head, and turned to go back down the hall.

 **Dinner that evening**

"Well thank you both for dinner. It was really good." Yoshino said as they left the dining room to put the dishes in the dishwasher. A smile on her face at Sakura and Shikamaru.

"Yes it was very good." Shikaku agreed with his wife.

Sakura was smiling ear-to-ear in Shikamaru's direction. "I mean I've cooked before, but who knew Shikamaru could cook?"

"Ha ha," Shikamaru said, going to sit on one of the bar stools after putting his dishes in the dishwasher. "I've cooked before."

"This is news to me," Yoshino said, although she laughed. "But I guess when you're home alone without your father or I, you have to survive somehow."

Shrugging his shoulders, Shikamaru's eyes went to Sakura who after letting Shadow and Tank outside, took the bar stool next to him. "It was just pasta, salad, and bread sticks."

"You remembered how I made your salad from a few weeks ago," Sakura said, smiling at him. "I'm proud of you for that if anything. And you made the tomato sauce all by yourself which was super good. Along with the garlic bread sticks, but I did do some of that."

"I don't even know how you can say the tomato sauce was good, you didn't eat any of it," Shikamaru replied, an eyebrow raised in her direction. "You only ate the alfredo sauce."

"Because alfredo sauce is the best thing next to the pasta itself," Sakura said as she was grinning. "And I did to try the tomato sauce. It was just not on my pasta. It was while we were still cooking."

That had Shikamaru chuckling, as he propped his elbow up on the bar top. "I thought I saw you taste testing. Of course this is after you got mad at me for doing the same thing."

That had Sakura's grin widen. "I don't know what you're talking about Shikamaru."

"Of course you don't." Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes at that had her and his parents laughing.

When Sakura's laughter died down, she remembered something she needed to tell his parents. "I forgot to mention this, but I won't be able to work tomorrow. I know we just got back to work today, but something came up."

"That's fine dear," Yoshino said, waving a hand at Sakura's slightly guilty look. "I can take care of what you were supposed to do tomorrow, it wasn't much to begin with."

While Yoshino understood with no questions asked, Shikamaru was more curious. "Why can't you work tomorrow all of a sudden?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about." Sakura replied, getting up from the bar stool to go close the front door once Shadow and Tank came in. The two big dogs edging their way towards the hall to go to bed. Looking back at their mom.

"Why can't you just tell me?" Shikamaru countered, watching her grow a smirk on her face.

"Because it's going to get on your nerves if I don't tell you," Sakura replied, laughing along with Shikamaru's parents at that. When her laughter died down, she she yawned, and stretched her arms up above her head. "I think I'm going to go ahead and go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow."

"Doing what exactly?" Shikamaru tried again.

That had Sakura laughing as she moved to go to her bedroom. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Sakura had disappeared down the hall their bedrooms were off of, and Shikamaru just turned to face that side of the living room. "Yes, that's why I asked!" He called back, smirking when he heard Sakura laughing. _I'll figure it out one way or another._

* * *

 **A/N: So this chapter was much shorter than the past few I've done. That's mostly because we're getting to a point where there's only a few more big events happening until the party and festival starts up. I'm taking up more of the chapters with those big events. This chapter just happened to be one that had a lot going on after Sakura's attack. I also gave some insight to Sakura's powers that make her such a big target. My favorite scene was the one when Naruto and Sai came over while Sakura was trying to go to bed. What was your favorite scene?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

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 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	15. It's Been Fun

**A/N: I just want to disclaim that I am aware that typically in this point in time, there isn't a huge amount of technology used. However, because this is a made up fanfiction story, I figured I'd make some adjustments. There still isn't that excessive amount of technology, but there are some things sprinkled in here and there.**

 _Review:_

" _I think I'm going to go ahead and go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow."_

" _Doing what exactly?" Shikamaru tried again._

 _That had Sakura laughing as she moved to go to her bedroom. "Wouldn't you like to know?"_

 _Sakura had disappeared down the hall their bedrooms were off of, and Shikamaru just turned to face that side of the living room. "Yes, that's why I asked!" He called back, smirking when he heard Sakura laughing. I'll figure it out one way or another._

* * *

 **The next afternoon, 20th of June**

"How does one simply disappear like that?" Shikamaru was questioning his parents as they walked down one of the many busy streets of the Leaf village. "Like I even woke up early, and she was gone."

"Well after last night, I think she made it clear she wouldn't be telling you where she's going to be today," his father spoke up, having been smirking while listening to his son talk about this since they all left the house after breakfast that morning. He had been bringing it up every other half hour it seemed, but it was still amusing. "I'm sure she only got up so early to bother you on purpose."

Shikamaru only scoffed, and crossed his arms over his chest. "It doesn't bother me. It definitely doesn't bother me."

Shikaku and Yoshino shared a look, then Yoshino laughed. "Sure it doesn't."

Rolling his eyes as that had his dad and mom both laughing, Shikamaru's eyes went to focus up on the clouds. _It was either getting this work done or going to train. I'm not sure which would have been a better decision, but at this moment I think I might rather be training right now._

"Is that Sakura?"

Hearing his dad's question, Shikamaru's eyes focused back forward. They had just turned down a slightly busier street where the market was. His eyes landing directly on Sakura, who was standing behind some of the fruit stands. She was high waisted jean shorts and a black crop top that left an inch of her stomach revealed. The top layer of her hair was up in a bun on top of her head, and the bottom layer of hair was left down.

"Saki!"

Just before the Nara's got close enough to Sakura to speak to her, a voice belonging to a tiny human had got Sakura's attention. A little girl ran over to Sakura. Two golden braids bounced behind her.

The little girl had her arms wrapped around one of Sakura's legs, and had Sakura smiling big. That's when Sakura's eyes lifted up to see the Nara's having just walked up. "You caught me."

"Well I'm just as surprised as you," Shikamaru replied back, his eyes going from the little girl up to Sakura's face. "You left the house at before 5:00 this morning."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, as she held a smile on her face. "Did you get up at 5 just to try to figure out where I was going?"

"Maybe." Was all Shikamaru said, rubbing the back of his neck, but smirking as that had made Sakura laugh.

"Either way, you caught me. This," Sakura started, as she rested her hand on the little girl's head. "Is my goddaughter Sachi, and this," she paused once again to lift up her left hand that had mostly been hidden behind the stands of fruit, and held up a baby carrier. "Is my godson Hiro. I'm watching over them today."

As soon as Yoshino saw Hiro, she had a bright smile on her face. "Aw he's precious," she said, then she leaned slightly over to look at Sachi. "It's nice to meet you Sachi. I really like your braids."

That had Sachi beaming. "Saki did them for me."

Sakura's eyes met Shikamaru's, and she offered him a half smile. "Surprise, more of my messy family."

That had Shikamaru laughing and shaking his head. "You made the biggest deal about keeping this a secret."

That had Sakura winking back at Shikamaru. "That was just the fun part."

"Would you like to join us for lunch Sakura?" Yoshino asked, straightening up. "Of course it's understandable if you want to spend time with your godchildren."

"No that'd be nice," Sakura replied, then her eyes focused down on Sachi. "What do you want for snack later?"

"Peaches," Sachi replied almost immediately. "I saw some over there that look really pretty."

"Good choice," Sakura said with a nod. "We'll go pick some of those out, and you need to figure out what you want for lunch."

Sachi nodded, but paused. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want to my love." Sakura replied with a smile.

A few minutes later they were walking down the next street over, as Sachi had decided on this barbeque place that had lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Which was one of the main reasons she wanted to go there, and she had been happily talking about it.

Yoshino's eyes were on Sakura. "How old are they?"

"Hiro is five and a half months," Sakura replied, then her eyes went to Sachi. "How old are you again? I keep forgetting."

Sachi, who was happily giggling and skipping alongside Sakura, met Sakura's eyes. "Three and a half."

That had Sakura smiling, as she looked back at the Nara's. "It is apparently very important to add the half in there. I was informed of that over breakfast."

That had the Nara's laughing. Shikamaru, who already liked Sachi just because she chose to eat at a barbeque place, had his eyes on Sakura. "I guess it's okay that you missed out on all of our work today."

"Aw," Sakura started, a mischievous smile in her eye. "Are you saying you didn't miss me this morning?"

Her question actually had Shikamaru's cheeks grow a little warm, and he hesitated. When he did open his mouth the speak, Sakura's attention had gone back over to her other side.

Sachi had broke free of Sakura's hand, and that had Sakura's focus immediately. "Sachi-" She stopped talking when she saw that Sachi had moved to stand outside the windows of the Yamanaka flower shop.

Moving her head so her blue eyes could meet her godmother's green ones, she smiled. "Please?"

Sakura sighed, but smiled as she went to open the door to the flower shop. "Make it quick."

That was all Sachi needed to bolt into the flower shop, and start shouting at the top of her lungs. "Ino!"

Ino had just walked out of the back room, and had knelt down just in time to catch the little three-year-old who hurled herself at her. "Sachi love, what are you doing here?"

"Saki is watching me and Hiro," Sachi replied, a bright smile on her face. "All day."

"All day?" Ino questioned, putting a big surprised look on her face. "You are going to have so much fun."

Sachi was nodding her head, as Ino had set her back on her feet. "We're already having fun."

"If I knew you were coming, I would have had you come over this morning to plant flowers with me." Ino told her.

That had Sachi frowning, as she jumped up and down. "Aw, I missed it!"

Laughing at Sachi's energy, Ino stroked her bangs back. "It's okay, we always have time to plant new flowers. So next time you come by for a visit, we'll plant flowers all day," she said, her eyes going over to Sakura and the Nara's as they walked over. Seeing Hiro, her own eyes sparkled. "Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!"

Sakura set Hiro's carrier down on the countertop, and took him out. Just barely having a second to turn to hand him over to Ino, before the blonde had taken him from her. Shaking her head at how Ino was all over Hiro about how cute he was, her eyes went to Shikamaru. "Told you Ino liked kids."

Leaning closer to Sakura, Shikamaru smirked. "How was I supposed to know that?"

"He's gotten so big." Ino said, getting Sakura's attention.

"I know," Sakura said, smiling at Hiro, then her eyes went to Ino. "We're going for lunch. Want to join?"

"Of course," Ino replied, as her focus remained down on Hiro. "Let me just close the shop real quick."

Over a half hour later, they were sitting in the barbeque place, and in the middle of lunch. Sachi was already talking about dessert.

"We'll see about dessert," Sakura said, having been feeding Hiro a bottle. "I don't want you getting so much sugar in you that you don't take a nap."

"I'll take a nap," Sachi insisted, leaning over to rest her head against Sakura's arm, a big smile on her face. "I promise."

Raising an eyebrow down at Sachi, Sakura smiled. "You know there is a difference between taking a nap and just laying there until it's time to get up, right?"

That had Sachi giggling. "Yes, but I'll sleep. I promise!"

Humming for a moment, Sakura finally sighed. "Alright, but here is the deal. You have to finish your lunch before you can have anything else. Then you get two bites now, and we'll take the rest back with us. Then you can have more after your nap. Deal?"

"Deal!" Sachi exclaimed, going back to continue eating her lunch.

"So," Ino started after laughing lightly at how hurriedly Sachi was eating her lunch. "What's with the all of a sudden visit? Usually whenever you get to see Sachi and Hiro you talk about it for days ahead of time."

"Misaki sent a message to me yesterday," Sakura started in reply, as her eyes were focused down on Hiro in her arms. "She needed me to pick them up early this morning, and they'd come to the village to pick them up tonight."

"Who is Misaki?" Yoshino questioned.

That put a smile on Sakura's face, as she looked to Yoshino. "She's one of my best friends. One of my longest friendships apart from Ino. Daitaro is her husband. He's also a friend of mine, but it took us a bit longer to become friends due to different interests-"

"More like you and Daitaro got in a fight everytime you were in the same room with one another." Ino interrupted, rolling her eyes at Sakura's words.

Continuing to smile, Sakura shrugged. "Agree to disagree."

"I think I'll be taking Ino's side on this one," Shikamaru said, smirking at Sakura's direction. "You getting in fights all the time sounds just like you."

Sticking out her tongue at him, Sakura laughed as she looked back to Yoshino. "Misaki and Daitaro live in the Land of Rivers. Not far from my parents actually. They did live here in the Leaf, but they moved when Misaki was pregnant with Sachi."

"I want to live here," Sachi spoke up, getting everyone's attention again. Having been so busy eating, she had to take a sip of her water. "It's pretty here."

"Hm," Sakura hummed, smiling at Sachi. "So is the village you live in, and my parents- I mean mawmaw and pawpaw's is only ten minutes away from you."

"I know, but I want to see you all the time." Was Sachi's reply, as she giggled.

"That's sweet love," Sakura replied, then her focus went down to Hiro who finished his bottle.

On the other side of the table, Shikamaru turned his head to Ino. "Wait, is Misaki adopted into Sakura's family too?"

"No, but she might as well be," Ino replied, noticing that had Shikamaru raising an eyebrow. "It's a long story. But, it's not one that needs to be talked about in front of Sachi and Hiro."

Shikamaru nodded once in understanding, then his eyes went to Sakura. She had started talking to his dad about something or another, and wasn't looking his way. _Her family is messy that's for sure._

 **A half hour later**

"Easy boys." Sakura said to Shadow and Tank as they walked through the door. Holding Hiro's carrier a bit higher, as she walked in. However, both Shadow and Tank's attention left their mother, as they focused on the tiny little girl walking inside.

Giggling right away, Sachi found herself being circled by Shadow and Tank. Both dogs barking with excitement at the familiar human.

Shaking her head, Sakura chuckled at the sight of Sachi with the dogs running around her excitedly. Going back to her bedroom, she set Hiro's carrier down. Having gone to her apartment earlier that morning she had brought over the portable crib she had for when her godchildren came to visit. Unfolding it, she set it out, then place Hiro in it. He had gone to sleep while they were still out to eat, and she was more than happy to see that the dogs barking didn't wake him up.

Leaving her bedroom, she returned to the living room just in time to see Shadow and Tank coming inside from the sunroom. Chasing Baby, who had ran up on the back of one of the couches to get away from them. Sachi giggling at the dogs excitement. "Alright love, time for nap."

"Okay," Sachi agreed, still petting Shadow and Tank. "Can they come with me?"

"Yes, but you know that Shadow's not going to stay." Sakura pointed out, as they walked back to her bedroom.

Sachi just nodded her head. "That's okay. Tank will," she said, as they walked into the room. Seeing the bed, she smiled big, and ran and climbed up on it. "This bed is huge."

Smirking as she lifted up the covers for Sachi to climb under, Sakura raised an eyebrow at Sachi's giggling. "You're so giggly, you need to relax, or you might not get any sleep."

"No, I'm tired!" Sachi insisted, as she snuggled into Sakura's pillows. Smiling up at her godmother. "I promised, remember?"

Laughing, Sakura reached down, and pushed Sachi's hair out of her face. "Yes you did… Sleep good love."

With that said, Sakura turned and left the room. Like she thought, Shadow followed right after her, but Tank remained on the bed. Walking down the hall, she moved over to the couch where Shikamaru was sitting, and sat down.

Shikamaru looked up from their notebook of work for the party, and over to her. "Your goddaughter is pretty entertaining."

That made Sakura smile, as she let her head rest back against the couch. Shadow had got up on the couch, and laid half on her lap. She stroked his head, as her eyes went up to the ceiling. "Yeah, she's pretty funny."

"I can see how she's learned some of it from you." Shikamaru told her.

Laughing, Sakura's eyes slid over to look at Shikamaru. "Are you saying I act like I'm three-years-old?"

"Three and a half," Shikamaru corrected, smirking as that made her laugh. "You made a comment over lunch. One that insinuated that Sachi looks at your parents as her grandparents."

"Ah," was what Sakura said at first, as she nodded her head. "You picked up on that."

"I did," Shikamaru replied, watching Sakura's expression soften, and she lost her smile. "Ino said it was a long story, and that it wasn't something to be discussed in front of Sachi and Hiro."

Sakura was quiet for a long moment, then her eyes went back to Shikamaru. "Well, long-story-short, Misaki was sixteen-almost seventeen-when she gave birth to Sachi. Her parents were never really that great to begin with, but when Misaki got pregnant it just seemed to get worse..." Sakura trailed off, as she took a long breath. Moving her eyes back up to the ceiling. "Stuff happened, her parents both ended up getting arrested over it, and my parents took her in as one of their own. Once Sachi was born, Misaki asked my parents to be her grandparents. They accepted without hesitation, and they consider Sachi and Hiro as their grandchildren."

It was quiet after Sakura stopped speaking, as Shikamaru watched her. A frown on his face. "Does Sachi know?"

"No," Sakura replied, her eyes going back to Shikamaru. "Misaki doesn't have any intentions of ever getting into contact with her parents again, and is happy to have my parents act as her children's maternal grandparents. It may be hard to understand, but after what went down with Misaki and her parents while she was pregnant, I can't imagine she'd ever want to talk to them again… I don't really want to go into more details than that. I don't like to think about."

"I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Oh don't apologize, "Sakura replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I would have if I were you. My family, like I say all the time, is messy. Not in a bad sort of way, just in a… you need a map of my family tree, and a whole lot of notes to keep up kind of way. It's challenging but interesting."

Shikamaru watched Sakura for a moment longer, then he shook his head and looked back down at their work notebook. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that you woke up ridiculously early just so I wouldn't be able to question you on where you're going."

"I think we've already established that you are annoyingly persistent when you ask questions, I was trying to save myself," Sakura shot back, then she laughed. "Although I have to give you credit. You got up at five to try to figure it out… If only you had woke up fifteen minutes earlier."

That had Shikamaru raising an eyebrow. "I missed you by fifteen minutes?" He asked, when she nodded in reply, he sighed and brought a hand to his face. "Now that's just embarrassing. You could have just not told me that."

Laughing again, Sakura shook her head at him. "You've just got to step up your game next time Shikamaru."

"Oh I plan to," Shikamaru shot back, smirking at her. "You won't even know what hit you."

"Oh geez, I can already picture you camping outside my room." Sakura told him, laughing at he nodded his head.

"And don't go bother going out the window, because I'll just have a shadow clone out there." Shikamaru added, laughing along with Sakura this time. When their laughter died down, he closed the notebook. "Ice cream?"

Sakura nodded back right away. "Yes please."

 **Later that evening**

"Hey, slow it down," Sakura said, having to stop from walking out behind the counter top, as Sachi sped past her with Shadow and Tank chasing after her. Shifting Hiro in her arms, Sakura shook her head at Sachi's fit of giggles that she heard from the sun room where she and the dogs ran into. Moving over to one of the couches she sat down next to Shikamaru. "That girl has so much energy."

"Yes she certainly does." Yoshino agreed, having enjoyed having the little girl running around all day. It lightened up the house considerably.

Sakura sighed as her eyes went to Shikamaru. "I want that much energy."

"I can barely keep up with you now," Shikamaru shot back, a smirk on his face. "You don't need anymore energy."

"It was the rest of that chocolate cake that did it I bet," Sakura replied, her eyes going over to the door when she heard a knock.

Shikaku had got up to grab the door, he opened it to see a young man and woman. "You must be Misaki and Daitaro."

The dark brown haired man nodded, and offered his hand to Shikaku as he and his wife walked in. "Shikaku Nara. My dad's on the council with you, Shintaro Takahashi."

Shikaku nodded and shook Daitaro's hand. "That's right, I heard he had a son a few years older than Shikamaru."

Daitaro moved over and shook Shikamaru's hand as well. "Misaki told me a little bit about you from what Sakura and Ino have told her, so I'm going to give you a chance to tell me what you're really like."

That had Shikamaru smirking. "Thanks man."

Misaki's focus was over on Hiro, as she walked right over to the couch. "Hey punkin," she started, as she leaned over to scoop up her son. A big smile on her face, as she brought him close. "Mommy missed you so much today."

"Hello I'm right here?" Sakura questioned, her eyes focused up on Misaki. "What about me? Did you miss me?"

Misaki rolled her eyes, and laughed before talking to Hiro. "Your godmother is being over dramatic."

"Bitch." Sakura mumbled as she reached over to grab her wine glass from the table.

"Hello Sakura," Daitaro greeted, as he walked closer. A smirk on his face, as he looked down to her.

"I'm sorry, did anyone else hear something?" Sakura countered, not even giving Daitaro a glance, as she sipped her wine.

Noticing how that had Daitaro's eyes narrowing, Misaki sighed, and brought a hand to his arm. "Babe, you know she's only doing that to get on your nerves."

Daitaro's eyes went to Misaki then, and he put a smirk on his face. "I still don't understand why you picked evil spawn to be your best friend."

"I identify as queen of all things evil," Sakura corrected, as she glanced over. "Thank you very much."

Daitaro opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted with the sound of tiny footsteps. "Daddy!" Sachi's exclamation was heard, before she shot out of the sunroom and right up into Daitaro's arms.

"Hey angel," Daitaro started, smiling at his daughter. "Did you have fun today?"

"Yes!" Sachi exclaimed as she giggled. Her eyes going down to Shadow and Tank who had ran into the living room after her. "Saki and I played all day today."

Sakura's eyes went over to Daitaro, then to Misaki. "Speaking of how much fun we had today, it'd be really fun if you two would tell me why I was babysitting today?"

That had Daitaro smirking, as he moved to set Sachi back down. Watching her take off to get the dogs to chase her back into the sun room. "I'm sorry, is it not enough to give you a day with your godchildren?"

"I would love to see them everyday," Sakura shot back, sipping her wine. "But, I think we all know that this was more of a spur of the moment emergency that you needed to me to watch them today."

That had Misaki laughing, as she moved to set Hiro down in his carrier. Her eyes going to Sakura. "We needed you to babysit today, because we were packing."

"Why?" Sakura countered, clearly needing more details. "If you're going on a trip, you really don't need all day to pack. Unless you're me. Then you might actually need an entire day. And you will also need a Hinata to end up packing for you when it's five minutes before you have to leave, and nothing is packed."

That had them all laughing, and Misaki shaking her head. "Sakura."

"It's bigger than just a little trip." Daitaro replied, his eyes going to wife.

Finishing putting Hiro down, Misaki reached in her bag, and pulled out a tablet. "Remember when we were kids, and there was that really pretty white house with the navy blue roof, matching shutters, and the porch that wrapped around the house?"

Sakura nodded, eying Misaki as her finger swiped the screen of her tablet. "Yeah it's by the South forest, and by that river we played in when we were kids. It's actually not that far from the Nara district. Maybe a street or two away… Why?"

"Because." Was all Misaki said, as she then she turned the tablet to face Sakura, showing a picture of herself and Daitaro on the front porch of that very house. In the picture, Daitaro had one arm wrapped around his wife, and was holding up a set of keys in his other hand.

Sakura's brain jumped to what they were trying to say almost immediately, as she jumped up from the couch. Nearly spilling her wine out of her wine glass. "Shut up! You're moving back into the village?"

"Yep," Misaki agreed, laughing at Sakura's clearly happy expression. "We had a lot of our stuff sent here overnight last night, and we had to go finish packing some stuff up. We spent the rest of the day signing for the house and unpacking here."

"This is awesome!" Sakura exclaimed happily, as she set down her wine glass to hug Misaki. "I'm so excited to have Sachi and Hiro closer!"

"What about me?" Misaki countered.

"Oh that's cool and all, but I mean come on," Sakura started, as she pointed down to Hiro. "Hiro and Sachi are the best things to ever happen to me."

That had everyone laughing, Misaki just rolled her eyes, and smirked. "Well I'm glad me having children has benefited you so much."

"Now who's being over dramatic?" Sakura countered, laughing at Misaki flicking her off.

Sachi's little footsteps were heard as she came laughing into the living room. Shadow and Tank chasing after her. Daitaro raised an eyebrow. "You've got a lot of energy for it being past your bedtime."

Giggling when her mother had wrapped an arm around her to keep her from running by, Sachi smiled. "I had the rest of my cake."

Raising an eyebrow, Misaki's eyes went straight to Sakura. "You let her have cake this late? It's almost ten-"

"In my defense, I only let her have two bites before her nap, so she'd sleep then. She's been eating on the rest over the rest of the day." Sakura replied, crossing her arms over her chest, and smirking when Misaki clearly didn't lose her frown. "And if that doesn't help, then I'm going to have to blame this one on Shikamaru."

"Don't bring me into this," Shikamaru said, his eyes meeting Sakura's. "You're the one who was responsible for her today, and you're also the one who promised her she could have the rest after her nap."

"Sakura." Misaki scowled.

Daitaro was smirking, and shaking his head. "She definitely did this on purpose."

"Tell your husband that I did not." Sakura said to Misaki.

"Oh geez," Misaki started, sighing as she straightened up. Rolling her eyes at how Sakura and Daitaro stuck out their tongues at one another. "You two are children."

"Are not." Sakura and Daitaro replied simultaneously, making everyone else laugh.

 **Almost an hour later**

With Misaki, Daitaro, and the kids having left over a half hour ago, Sakura jumped in the shower, and made her way out onto the front porch once she was done. It was a little past eleven, and she was waiting for Shadow and Tank to finish up outside so they could go to bed.

She was sitting on the top step, her eyes focusing on the surroundings in the front yard. The surroundings were still, and the only sound was the rhythmic chirps of katydids. Then there was the occasional lightning bugs lighting up all over the yard. It was peaceful.

"I see it now."

The sound of Shikamaru's voice, had Sakura turn her head to look over her shoulder. Standing in the open doorway was Shikamaru, his arms crossed, and he was leaning against the door frame. "What exactly do you see?"

"I see why you liked my cousin's baby so much," Shikamaru replied, a smirk on his face. "You've got some experience."

Shrugging her shoulders after a moment, Sakura turned her head back forward, a smile on her face. "I've always liked kids. My godchildren just happened to make that amplify."

Moving over from the doorway, Shikamaru sat down on the steps next to her. Catching sight of either Shadow or Tank running around the flowers in the front yard before his eyes went up to the starry sky. "It was nice to meet them, and their parents. It makes me feel like your family is coming around full circle."

That made Sakura laugh, as her eyes went over to him. "I'd have to say that you're pretty much solid on my family. Well my immediate family. I wouldn't put you through trying to make it through my extended family tree. That could go on for ages."

"I think I'd be up for the challenge," Shikamaru replied, his eyes focused on hers. "I like puzzles."

"That's something we have in common," Sakura said, laughing lightly, as she shook her head. Focusing back up on the sky, she sighed. "Nothing is more satisfying than finally finishing a puzzle, and getting to look at the full picture."

Watching Sakura for a long moment in silence, a smile formed on Shikamaru's face. "I think that's probably one of the things that I noticed about you from early on."

"You mean it was my sarcastic comments, and amazingly good looks?" Sakura countered, smiling as that had Shikamaru laughing.

"Well I noticed that too," Shikamaru replied, noticing how it seemed that she hadn't expected him to say that. "But, your drive to figure something out was something I noticed a while ago. Before all this party stuff even started. You'd be given a task, then you'd break apart every piece to figure out the right answer. All while gaining more knowledge than you needed, but it still ends up benefiting you in the end. Your strategy to figuring things out has always intrigued me."

"Coming from the master strategist himself," Sakura said, smiling at him. "I'm touched."

Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru put a smirk on his face. "You know, I could just go back to giving you compliments again. I think I recall that it embarrasses you if I-"

"Oh look," Sakura interrupted Shikamaru, as she stood up abruptly. The dogs had just finished up, so she turned to go to the front door. "Shadow and Tank are ready to come inside, I guess it's time for bed."

That had Shikamaru laughing, as he moved to stand up. He crossed the porch, and moved so his arm was blocking her from walking inside. When her eyes met his, the space between them was only a couple inches. "You know the fact that you're one of the smartest people I know wasn't the only thing I've noticed about you."

Sakura, at their close proximity, moved her hands behind her back. Not saying anything, but also not moving away.

"You're a pretty amazing person," Shikamaru started, his eyes holding hers. "With us only having a couple weeks left before all of this will be over; I wanted to tell you that."

Taking a moment of silence after his words, Sakura nodded finally. "This definitely ended up being something that I wasn't expecting..." She trailed off, a slight smile appearing on her face. "You've been full of surprises. All the adventures we've been on… It's been fun."

"It has been," Shikamaru agreed, a smile appearing on his own face. After another moment of silence, he dropped his arm from blocking the doorway. "Goodnight."

Walking inside, Sakura paused, and looked back. "Goodnight Shikamaru."

 **Early the next evening**

"Get off of me!" Sakura exclaimed at both Naruto and Sai, as they walked through the front door of the Nara house. Tearing her arms from their hands, as she glared at both of them.

"Uh is everything okay here?" Shikaku questioned, an eyebrow raised at the look of fear on Naruto and Sai's faces, and Sakura's angry glare.

Shikamaru noticed it as well. "You go off to train for the first time in a while, and you come back angry. That makes sense."

"Not now!" Was all Sakura snapped back at Shikamaru, crossing her arms, and staring at Naruto and Sai. "You can leave now."

With Sakura's glare intensifying, Naruto and Sai moved a few steps back from her. Naruto being the first to speak. "Well I'm going over to Hinata's-"

"I swear on your grave," Sakura started angrily. "If you tell her what happened, I will punch you in the face."

Naruto's eyes widened in fear, as he nervously took more steps back. "I wasn't-"

"I don't believe you!" Sakura snapped, interrupting him. "I'm not kidding."

"Would you relax?" Sai countered, trying to calm the situation.

That only turned Sakura's glare onto him. "Don't tell me to relax you-"

"Good evening." Yoshino greeted, as she walked out of the hall her and her husband's bedroom was off. Clearly having not sensed the tense air.

"Not really," was all Sakura replied with, as her eyes went to Naruto and Sai. "Okay seriously, leave now!"

It was silent as both Naruto and Sai hesitated. They shared a look before Naruto spoke up. "Sakura got injured in training today!"

"And she's been pretending it's not a big deal so she won't have to go to the hospital!" Sai added quickly, then both he and Naruto bolted to leave the house.

Sakura just got to the door when they had jumped off the porch. "I hate you both! The next time I see you, you are going to wish you kept your damn mouths shut!" She yelled after them, then she proceeded to slam the door shut. Turning around slowly, her eyes met Shikamaru's, and she could see concern in them. "They are being over dramatic. It's not even bad."

Apparently Sakura slamming the door shut had alerted Shadow and Tank that she was back. Running in from the sun room, they bolted right towards her. Tank, like he often did, jumped up to have his paws make contact with her shoulders. Causing her to move the wrong way, and she felt a sharp pain in her ribs. Pressing one hand against them, she had to lean over. "Oh my god."

Seeing Sakura clearly in pain, Shikamaru hummed. "Not even that bad huh?"

"Shut up!" Sakura bit back, as she glared darkly at him.

 **A little over a half hour later**

It was a little past six thirty, and Sakura had just got out of the shower. After a long day of working that morning, and training the past six hours, Sakura was planning on doing nothing but relaxing. She was dressed in her pajamas and done for the day.

She had came out into the living room, and settled down on the other end of the couch that Shikamaru was on. The twinging pain she got in her ribs only occurred when she moved certain ways, so her plan was to not move if she didn't have to.

"So," Shikamaru started, his eyes moving up from the shogi board, as it was his dad's move now. "Are you going to tell us what you did?" He asked Sakura, and when she didn't even acknowledge him, he smirked. "Do you know how funny it is that you already got yourself injured, and you only just recently finished up healing from other injuries?"

"I'm glad you think my being in pain is funny." Sakura shot back irritably.

"Well at least you admit your in pain," Shikamaru replied, chuckling as he noticed Sakura's eyes widen. "Ah, you didn't realize I was setting you up there."

"Shikamaru," Yoshino started, a disapproving frown on her face. She was standing over by the stove in the kitchen working on dinner, and was watching them. "You leave her be. She doesn't need you bothering her."

Sighing at his mom's words, Shikamaru's eyes went to Sakura. "I'm just wondering on what level of an injury this is. We've already covered some severe injuries with you, and I need to know what level of concerned I should be."

Shikaku chuckled at Shikamaru's words, then his eyes went to Sakura. "Yoshino is concerned as well. She's just trying not to smother you."

"Oh," Sakura started, putting a smile on her face as her eyes went to Yoshino. "It's just a small thing. It can be taken care of with a simple healing session."

"Then why haven't you healed it?" Shikamaru questioned before his mother could speak.

"I used a lot of chakra today in training," Sakura countered, her eyes narrowing at him. "The rest I'm saving if there is an emergency. I don't need to waste it on myself. I can heal tomorrow."

That had Shikamaru frowning, and crossing his arms. "You could just go to the hospital-"

"That's unnecessary," Sakura interrupted him, shaking her head. "I probably just irritated a muscle. It's no big deal. I can live through a little pain."

"That's not a thing." Shikamaru disagreed.

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura showed him a look of irritation. "Are you a doctor?"

"No," Shikamaru replied back immediately. "But I know you are a little bit of a liar."

While that made Shikamaru and his parents laugh, Sakura stuck her tongue out at him.

As dinner got closer to being ready, Shikamaru had begun to keep track of each moment of pain that Sakura showed. When she had become aware of him doing that, she had tried to completely ignore him. When she got up to go feed Baby and the dogs, that's when her "everything is all fine" attitude went out the door. She had reached down to get Baby some food first, but she felt a sharp pain in her ribs. So sharp that she doubled over in pain, and made a pained sounding noise as she did.

"Sakura," Shikamaru started, as he jumped up right away, and was beside her in seconds. "Are you okay?"

Not responding for a moment, as Sakura was trying to breathe through the pain. She finally looked up to Shikamaru's face, not realizing she had tears in her eyes from the pain.

Seeing that along with Sakura not saying that she was fine this time, Shikamaru shook his head, and straightened up. "Okay, that's it. We're going to the hospital."

"I don't need-"

"Shut up," Shikamaru interrupted her, his eyes meeting hers. "We're going."

It was silent as Sakura stared back at Shikamaru. By the look in his eyes she got the sense that she wasn't getting her way this time. Sighing finally, she leaned back against the wall, and slid so she was sitting down. "Get my bag, and just grab my flips flops or something."

 **An hour and a half later, eight thirty**

After almost an hour at the emergency room, Sakura and Shikamaru had gone back home. His parents were gone, as they had left a note that they had gone to Shikaku's brother's house after they ate. They made plates for Sakura and Shikamaru, and put them in the oven to stay warm. Sakura did have a small injury to her ribs, and she was given some medicine for pain. The doctor did have to do some minor healing to make sure it didn't get worse. Once they got home, Shikamaru made Sakura sit down on the couch, and they ate dinner on the couch.

It wasn't until after they finished eating that Shikamaru turned to face Sakura. "I've got a surprise for you."

Sakura raised an eyebrow when Shikamaru had got up to go walk over to where the movies were kept on the same wall the fireplace was on. "Is it another trip to the hospital?"

"No, but I can tell how disappointed you are." Shikamaru replied, picking a movie from the top of the shelf. It was still in a bag. Walking back over to her, he held it out for her.

Taking the movie out of the bag, Sakura's mouth dropped open. "Shut up!" She exclaimed, a big smile forming on her face. It was the Fault in Our Stars movie. "When did it come out? I thought it was still in theaters."

"Yesterday, I bought it today though. I was going to tell you when you came back from training, but with all the drama you caused, I had to wait a few hours." Shikamaru replied, smirking at Sakura's big smile. Reaching back over, he took the movie. "I'll set it up."

"That's very sweet of you Shikamaru," Sakura said, smiling as she watched him. "You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to," Shikamaru replied, as he shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

Even as he had said that, Sakura was smiling big at him. She waited until he put the movie in, and joined her back on the couch. "Disclaimer, the probability of me crying like a baby throughout this movie is higher than the freaking Hokage monuments. So I'm warning you now, if you want to laugh at me do it now."

That made Shikamaru smirk. "I'm not going to laugh at you- most likely anyways."

They settled down after the movie had started. They were on the L shaped couch, and had got comfy with blankets and pillows. As the movie went on, Shikamaru occasionally got up to grab Sakura either a fresh ice pack for her ribs or the heating pad. Over those few times, they had changed the way they were laying down. The most recent time had Shikamaru sitting up against some pillows, facing the television. Sakura was laying back to where part of her back was against the couch, and the other part was against Shikamaru. It just kind of happened, but neither of them seemed to mind.

They were a little over half way through the movie when they heard the front door being unlocked. Shikamaru paused the movie, and turned his head to look over his shoulder to see his parents walking in. "Hey."

"I would think you'd be asleep by now." Shikaku said back to his son, as he turned to lock the front door back up after his wife walked in.

Yoshino's eyes were on her son. "How did it go at the hospital? Is Sakura sleeping?"

"Nope," Sakura answered before Shikamaru could. She raised a hand up from where she was, as she was laying in a way that the couch was hiding her from view of the front door. "Right here. Just trying not to move all that much."

Yoshino and Shikaku walked over so they could actually see Sakura, Shikaku smirking. "You two look comfortable."

"Oh I am," Sakura replied first, as she reached back behind her to pat Shikamaru. "He has to put up with me, since he dragged me against my will to the hospital."

Reaching up and grabbing Sakura's hand before her excessive patting could get him hit in the face, Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her words. Then he looked to his parents. "She'll be fine, by the way. We were at the hospital for about an hour, and basically they gave her some medicine for the pain. She refused to really let them heal it, as she said she could just do it tomorrow. Which still doesn't make sense to me."

"Well it doesn't have to make sense to you," Sakura told him, before feeling him start to move. She just reached over and slapped a hand down on his leg. "Hey I need a little bit of warning before you move. That could have been terrible."

"I'm going to get your heating pad, and put that ice pack back in the freezer," Shikamaru told her, as he moved the rest of the way to get up. "You're welcome."

"Thank you," Sakura told him, grinning as he had taken the ice pack from her, then her eyes went to his parents. "He's so sweet, he bought this movie for me as a surprise."

Yoshino smiled at that. "Is this that movie for that book you read?"

"Yeah," Sakura paused to readjust her legs that were practically squished in-between Shadow and Tank. "It just came out, and he got it. Then he's watching it with me too." Her eyes went over to see Shikamaru walking back over to give her the heating pad. "You're being so nice to me even though just a couple hours ago you were being really mean."

"Taking you to the hospital when you clearly needed to go is not being mean," Shikamaru replied back, moving to sit back on the couch. "You're just being a brat so you don't understand that."

"Yeah, you're right." Sakura agreed, laughing as she could tell that surprised him that she agreed. She waited until he leaned back against the pillows, before she leaned back against him. Putting the heating pad on her ribs.

"Well since you two are up," Yoshino started, having smiled as she watched how comfortable her son and Sakura looked together. "We were planning on telling you both this over dinner, but you had to go to the hospital. But the day after tomorrow we're all leaving to go to a winery for a few days."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Why are we all of a sudden going on a vacation?"

"It's not necessarily a vacation," Shikaku replied to his son. "Well maybe a little, but we're actually going for party related reasons."

"We need to taste test some wine to figure out what we're going to be serving at the party, then at the ball," Yoshino added once her husband stopped talking. "I figured it'd be nice to have some time relaxing to before the party. We're going to probably have a lot of long stressful work days right before the party."

"Which winery?" Sakura asked.

"West Sage-"

"That's all you have to say, I'm down," Sakura interrupted Yoshino, then she laughed. "Hinata's going to be so jealous when I tell her."

"Why is that?" Shikamaru asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No reason." Was all Sakura replied with before she laughed again.

"Right," Yoshino started, shaking her head, as she turned. "Well we're going to go to bed. Keep it down out here please."

"I can't make any promises," Shikamaru replied said, then he patted Sakura's head. "She is terrible at staying quiet."

That had Sakura laughing, as she shook her head. "Shut up. I can stay quiet."

Shikamaru gave his parents a "don't believe anything she says" kind of look, and that them both laughing as they turned to leave.

"Goodnight." Shikaku said once he and his wife stopped laughing.

"Goodnight." Sakura and Shikamaru chorused in reply.

It wasn't until Shikamaru's parents were gone that Sakura turned her head to look at Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow. "I can be a very quiet person."

"Well the only time you've ever been quiet is when you're either mad at me or on a whole new level of stressed out." Shikamaru pointed out to her.

That had made Sakura laugh again. "But that still means that I can be quiet."

"I guess," Shikamaru agreed, grabbing the remote to turn the movie back on, but he paused. "Since we're already over half-way through this movie, you should go ahead and take your medicine."

"Damn," Sakura said, sighing heavily. "I thought you'd forget about that."

"Nope," Shikamaru smirked at her. "One of us has to remember to take care of you, and let's be honest that's usually not you."

"Ha ha," Sakura said, as she moved a little to allow Shikamaru to get up to go get her medicine from the kitchen. Reaching to pet Baby who had jumped up in her lap, she smiled. "If you don't come back over here with ice cream too, I'm not taking my medicine."

"I'll take that under consideration." Was Shikamaru's reply.

Hearing that he was laughing, Sakura laughed herself, and finally she shook her head. _Getting injured today surprisingly ended up a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Movies and hanging out with Shikamaru. A couple months ago, I wouldn't have believed that would be my idea of fun. But, I'm happy it is now._

* * *

 **A/N: One more chapter down. We have one more chapter before I will be taking pause on this story to focus on my other stories. Don't worry. The pause will only be for a little while. Keep an eye on my blog or my social media to keep updated. My favorite scene this chapter was between the ending and the scene with Sakura and Shikamaru on the porch. What scene was your favorite?**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	16. Spark of Fire

**A/N: MUST READ! The last four chapters of this story(ch's 17-20) will begin to be posted next month(MAY), so be on the look out on my blog for those upload dates. For those of you wondering, I do have plans for a sequel already, so just because this story is ending at chapter 20 doesn't mean the story line is over :)**

 _Review:_

" _One of us has to remember to take care of you, and let's be honest that's usually not you."_

" _Ha ha," Sakura said, as she moved a little to allow Shikamaru to get up to go get her medicine from the kitchen. Reaching to pet Baby who had jumped up in her lap, she smiled. "If you don't come back over here with ice cream too, I'm not taking my medicine."_

" _I'll take that under consideration." Was Shikamaru's reply._

 _Hearing that he was laughing, Sakura laughed herself, and finally she shook her head. Getting injured today surprisingly ended up a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Movies and hanging out with Shikamaru. A couple months ago, I wouldn't have believed that would be my idea of fun. But, I'm happy it is now._

* * *

 **A couple days later, 23rd of January**

"It's so wonderful to see you again Sakura." The woman who was checking them in at one of the hot springs buildings on the property of the winery, was elated at the sight of the pink haired woman.

"It's nice to see you too," Sakura said, smiling as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I didn't think I'd be back this soon."

"This soon? It's been three months, that's long enough," the woman replied back cheerfully, as she moved to grab the keys for the rooms. "Hinata on a mission?"

"No, she's at home watching my furbabies," Sakura replied, as she leaned on the counter top a little. "I'm here for more of a work trip this time."

That had the woman chuckling, as she turned to hand the keys over to Sakura. "I heard. We're really happy to be able to provide the wine for the Nara Party this year. So does this mean you're going to be working the entire time?"

"Well I'm sure I'll find time to run around and stir up some trouble," Sakura said, winking at the woman. "Wouldn't want you to get bored?"

"Honey, whenever you're here, I'm far from bored," the woman replied, laughing as she shook her head. "You have a nice stay dear."

"Thank you," Sakura replied, then she turned to walk across the lobby to where Shikamaru and his parents were. Handing Shikaku the keys, they started to walk towards their rooms, as she raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru staring at her. "What?"

"I've gathered that you and Hinata must come here often," Shikamaru replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Which I don't know if that means anything or not, but it sounds to me this may have helped develop your problem with alcohol."

"I'm not an alcoholic," Sakura shot back quickly, as they took the stairs up to the second floor of the building. "I just like to drink with my friends every once in a while. There's nothing wrong with that."

"No there is not," Yoshino spoke up before her son could. Her eyes going to Sakura. "So where have you been here? The property is huge."

Sakura put a smile on her face, as she thought about the memories she had here. "Well Hinata and I have typically stayed mostly on the north end of the property, and we have explored some. But, I mean we were also drinking, so I don't know how much of what we saw we remembered the next day."

"Shocker- ow!" Shikamaru exclaimed at Sakura smacking his shoulder. Narrowing his eyes at her laughing.

"Alright," Yoshino said, as they reached two doors down a secluded hallway towards the back of the building. Watching as her husband handed Shikamaru a key. "You two will be in that room, and we'll be in this once across the hall."

Shikamaru barely had the key in his hand for a few seconds before Sakura grabbed it, a big smile on her face. "Sounds good to me."

Yoshino raised an eyebrow, as she crossed her arms. "Now don't get any ideas you two-"

"Mom." Shikamaru interrupted quickly, he's face getting warm, and his eyes wide. Growing irritated when that had his dad laughing, and even Sakura laughed.

Realizing that Shikamaru was embarrassed, Sakura grinned, and turned to unlock the door. "The only thing anyone needs to worry about is Shikamaru getting on my nerves enough for me to push him off the balcony."

After Sakura walked into the room, Shikamaru turned to face his parents. His dad smirking and his mom smiling. "Please don't make me share a room with her."

"No," Yoshino replied, her smile widening as her husband was chuckling. "Just behave."

"She might kill me by the end of this trip." Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes when he heard Sakura laughing from inside the room.

"You'll be alright." Shikaku replied back to his son, still chuckling.

"Hey Shikamaru!" Sakura's exclamation was heard from inside the room. "The balcony is pretty high up! You wanna come look?!"

While that had both his parents laughing, Shikamaru sighed as he looked back at them. "Well it was nice knowing you," he said, shaking his head as he moved into the room. Looking around, it was a spacious room. There was one bed on the left, and one on the right. There was a door to the right that he guessed led into the bathroom. There were glass double doors across the room from him, and one of them was open. Sakura's bag dropped on the floor near the open door.

Moving towards the open door, he stopped in the doorway. The view was pretty impressive. There were mountains in the distance, and the view of the very large vineyard. Although his eyes centered in on Sakura. She was over by the railing, resting her elbows down, and held a relaxed stance. She had turned her head to look back at him, a growing smirk on her face.

"I'm not really going to push you off… Probably… Not intentionally at least."

"That's reassuring." Shikamaru replied sarcastically, shaking his head, as he stepped out onto the balcony. He stopped when he was beside her, and he crossed his arms over his chest. He was able to see where the hot springs were.

They stood there, admiring the view for another couple minutes before Sakura turned to face him. "So I don't really care who sleeps in which bed, as long as you know that I can be a morning person. So I might get up to go out here in the morning, and I won't be apologizing if I wake you up."

"Okay, so you can have the one that is closer to the balcony door," Shikamaru replied, then he turned to face her. Smirking as he had to look down a little to meet her eyes, as they were so close to one another. "But, just so you know, if you wake me up in the morning, I'm not apologizing when I throw something at your head."

That had a mischievous smile on her face. "Is that a challenge?"

"No," Shikamaru broke his smirk to laugh. "I don't want to throw something at your head, but I will."

"I'm just saying," Sakura started, as she turned to go back to the balcony doors. Pausing to look back at him. "I've woken you up plenty of times early in the morning, sometimes in the middle of the night, and you haven't thrown anything at me yet."

Laughing again, Shikamaru shook his head. "Don't push me on this."

"We'll see." Was all Sakura said before she went inside.

Hearing her laughter from inside their room, Shikamaru shook his head, and looked back out at the view. _She's something else._

 **Later that evening**

Sliding open the door, Sakura and Yoshino walked into the private dining room. Yoshino sighing happily, as they walked in. Dressed in the robes provided by the winery, having just came from the hot springs. "That was nice."

"We were wondering when you two were going to show up," Shikaku started from where he and his son sat at the table. A smirk on his face, as he watched his wife sit down next to him. "We figured we wouldn't see you two for another hour or so."

Laughing back at her husband's words, Yoshino shook her head at him. "Well we just got to talking, and lost track of time. It was really nice to finally get to relax."

Sakura had moved over to go sit beside Shikamaru, pushing his shoulder lightly as she sat down. Smiling at him. "Yeah, it was really relaxing to not be around you for an hour."

"And here I was just thinking to myself how much I missed your extremely loud and annoying voice." Shikamaru shot back, smirking at how that made her laugh.

"Ha ha," Sakura said, sticking out her tongue at him, then her focus went to combing her damp hair back out of her face. "It was nice to have the extra time in the hot springs. It was definitely doing wonders for my ribs." She stopped, and her eyes darted to Shikamaru, who was raising an eyebrow at her. "But don't worry, I healed them yesterday like I said I did. I just am still a little uncomfortable sometimes."

Smirking at her quick words, Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you looking at me? I never said you didn't heal them."

"But that look you had did," Sakura shot back, before her eyes went to the wine list on the table. Opening the little menu. "So what are we drinking tonight?"

"We decided that Yoshino and you could choose if you want." Shikaku answered, handing his wife the other copy of the wine list.

Sakura hummed, as she skimmed the very familiar list. "Well I've had quite a few of these. So you all are welcome to choose whatever; I really don't mind what we have."

"That's not very helpful." Shikamaru told her, smirking when she rolled her eyes at his words.

"Yeah well neither is putting all the decision making on us." Sakura shot back, sticking her tongue out at him again.

"You're a child." Shikamaru told her, a smile on his face at her laughter.

"Takes one to know one-"

"Okay," Yoshino interrupted, laughing along with her husband. "I will pick something. You two need to stop before we get kicked out of here."

"Oh I think I've set the bar pretty high on what it takes to get kicked out of here," Sakura replied without really thinking about it. Then she looked over to Shikamaru, who was about to say something. "Don't ask."

 **A couple hours later**

After having dinner, they took a walk around the building, and they sat out in the garden for a while. It was nearly midnight when they called it a night, and decided to go back to their rooms. However, since both Sakura and Shikamaru weren't tired yet, they decided to play a card game. Which Sakura had conveniently brought a deck with her. They were settled on Shikamaru's bed, and had been playing games for the past half hour.

"You're bed is so much more comfortable than mine is." Sakura said, after picking a card up to add to her hand.

"How would you even know that?" Shikamaru countered, an eyebrow raised at her. "Have you even got on your bed yet?"

"I was on it for a while before we left to go to the hot springs." Sakura replied, her eyes focusing down on her cards to plan her next move, then she finally set a card down.

"That was like two minutes," Shikamaru pointed out, shaking his head at her. "You can't determine that my bed is more comfortable until you actually sit on your bed for more than half an hour at least. It's not that big of a deal anyways."

Sighing, Sakura shook her head at him. "But your bed is more comfortable. Switch with me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because, we already determined that you need to sleep on the other bed so you don't wake me up in the morning, and that way I won't have to throw something at your head." Shikamaru replied, laughing at Sakura's smile.

"Oh yeah… Well I hope you enjoy your really nice bed, I'll just suffer over on mine." Sakura said, still holding a smile on her face.

Shaking his head at her words, Shikamaru placed his card down. "You're dramatic, and I win."

"Damn it," Sakura said, setting the rest of her cards down. "I forgot to catch you on the whole one-card thing. Can we just pretend the last couple of moves didn't happen?"

"No," Shikamaru laughed, shaking his head at her dramatic sigh. "You need to pay attention next time. I know that'll be hard for you, but you should challenge yourself."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," was Sakura's sarcastic reply, then she yawned. "I need sleep. Rematch tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru replied, sitting up on his bed, and watching as she got off. His eyes remained following her until she walked behind the paper partition in the room to change. When he noticed her shadowed outline through the screen, he knew he should have looked away. But his eyes remained. Watching her slipping off the robe to change into pajamas. He almost didn't catch himself when she had moved to walk back out from behind the screen. He averted his eyes quickly, and felt his cheeks grow slightly warm.

Sakura, having not noticed Shikamaru's face, just went to put the robe in the bathroom. Walking back out, she crossed the room to get in her bed. "I'm so tired, I'm going to die."

Laughing, Shikamaru was able to shake off his thoughts, and he got under the covers in his bed. "Over dramatic."

"What if I actually died?" Sakura countered, an eyebrow raised in his direction.

"That would be unfortunate."

At Shikamaru's deadpan response, Sakura started laughing. To the point where she couldn't breathe because she was laughing so hard.

Smirking after a moment, Shikamaru lied back on his pillows. "Could you stop laughing? I'm trying to sleep here."

That only seemed to stir up Sakura's laughter some more. Even Shikamaru jumped in to laugh. Finally, once their laughter died down, Sakura propped herself up on her elbows to look across the room to Shikamaru. "You're welcome." With that said, she turned the light off, and laid down.

Shikamaru's laughter broke the brief silence from across the room. Sakura joining in, as she brought her head to rest against the pillow. Enjoying the moment.

 **The next morning, the 24th**

"I'm going to have to end up buying all of Shikaku's and Shikamaru's clothes for the party," Yoshino was saying, as she and Sakura walked through the boutique they found while walking through the town near the winery. "If I left it up to them, they'd show up in what they wear everyday."

Laughing at that thought, Sakura shook her head as they stopped to look at some dresses. "My brothers are the same way. Garra is the only one who knows when he needs to dress nice. But that didn't happen until he became Kazekage."

"Well I guess I can expect it from guys your age, but my husband certainly doesn't have any excuses," Yoshino replied, then she chuckled. "With how alike he and Shikamaru are, I expect Shikamaru will be the same when he's that age."

Sakura smiled at the thought, as she looked through the dresses. "I guess that just leaves more work for us to do."

"Yeah I guess it does," Yoshino said, having raised an eyebrow at how Sakura said that, but after a moment she shook it off. "I think we'll have another half hour or so of browsing before we'll be meeting them for lunch."

"I wonder what they've been doing all morning."

"I know Shikaku is supposed to be working on a couple things for the party," Yoshino said, then she shook her head and sighed. "And Shikamaru is supposed to be helping him, but I highly doubt he is. He probably hasn't done a single thing this morning. All he wants to do is just go out and watch the clouds. Which drives me crazy when he does it to avoid work."

"I don't know," Sakura started with a small smile forming on her face. Her thoughts going back to the times they watched the clouds together at the top of the hill at his spot in the Leaf Village. "It's kind of his thing. It's cute."

Sakura's words had Yoshino stopping going through the dresses on the rack, and her eyes went to Sakura. An eyebrow raised, as Sakura had seemed to have not meant to say that last part out loud. A smile started on her own face. "It's cute huh?"

Feeling her face growing warm, Sakura was silent for a moment, then she shrugged. Trying to focus back on looking through the dresses. "I don't know what to say here."

Laughing at that Yoshino rested a hand on Sakura's shoulder, getting the pink haired woman to look at her. "Don't worry, I won't say anything dear," she said, keeping her smile on her face, as her eyes went back to the dresses. "Now I feel like these dresses are a little more fancy, so maybe these would be better choices for what to wear to the ball at the end of the week. We can get it delivered to the village."

At Yoshino changing the subject, Sakura released the breath she was holding. She continued on chatting with Yoshino as if she never said a word, but on the inside she couldn't shake the fluttering feeling she had.

 **Later on that day**

"So, as you already know, your mother and I are going out to eat tonight, so you and Sakura can do whatever. Tomorrow is when we're going to do all the wine tasting."

"Got it," Shikamaru replied, as and his dad were walking down the hall. "We'll figure out something to do. I've got some ideas. But, I know that whatever we do, I'm going to have to make sure she gets fed, so she won't kill me. Then I have to find something to entertain her so she won't bother me to death."

Watching his son for a long moment in silence, Shikaku finally shook his head and chuckled.

Noticing his dad laughing, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing..." Shikaku trailed off, still chuckling.

"No, what are you laughing at?"

"Son," Shikaku started, trying to control his laughter. "I know you keep saying that there's nothing going on here between you two, but I don't think you realize just how much that woman is involved in your life now."

Shikamaru was quiet at first. For once not immediately denying what his father was saying. They paused before they could turn onto the hall their rooms were off of. Finally he looked to his dad. "Don't say anything okay?"

Shikaku could tell it took a lot for his son to even say that much. After another moment of silence, he smirked, and crossed his arms. "I won't."

Nothing else was said, as they continued waking. They separated at their rooms, and Shikamaru had to take a breath before walking into his. He closed the door behind himself, but paused before walking further into the room. His eyes going to his bed, where Sakura was currently laying back on. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just confirming to make sure my bed is just as comfortable as yours is," Sakura replied back, her eyes remaining focused up on the ceiling. "Which it is. In fact, mine is much more comfortable than yours is."

That brought a smirk to Shikamaru's face. "That's funny, because just last night you were swearing that my bed was more comfortable." Even as his voice sounded calm, his mind was still spinning around what he and his dad had been talking about out in the hall. He was focusing so much on that, he didn't realize he was staring right at Sakura.

"Yeah well after careful consideration, I changed my mind," Sakura said, her eyes going over to him to find him staring at her. She sat up on the bed then. "I can get off. Were you going to take a nap or something?"

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment, then he shook his head to get out of his thoughts. "No, I was just thinking. Since my parents are going out tonight, we should probably figure out what we're going to do."

Crossing her legs, Sakura hummed in thought. "I've been thinking about that too. I figured since we'll probably be out all day tomorrow, maybe we can just order something in and hang out here tonight. Maybe we could play some more cards, or watch a movie. The TV in here is pretty cool, and I know where they keep all the good movies down in the lobby."

Smirking, Shikamaru crossed his arms, and nodded. "You read my mind."

 **The next morning, the 25th**

"Would you hurry up?" Shikamaru questioned, his eyes on the bathroom door where Sakura had just got out of the shower, and was getting dressed. "We were supposed to meet my parents for downstairs in the lobby two minutes ago."

"Stop rushing me," was Sakura's reply, before the bathroom door opened. Stepping out in a white and green maxi dress, with a floppy hat on, and her sunglasses in her hands. "We'll be fine."

Shikamaru, having hardly heard what she said, was more focused on her and what she was wearing.

"Besides you were late to breakfast this morning, so you can't say anything about me being late now." Sakura continued on, having not noticed him staring, as her eyes were focused down on her feet where she was slipping on her sandals.

Shaking his head, Shikamaru opened the door to their room. "Let's just go before my mom plans out a forty minute lecture on why I shouldn't be late."

"I was the one who was late this time though," Sakura pointed out, as they walked down the hall. "You were just being nice and waiting for me."

"Do you honestly think that's how my mom is going to see it?"

Laughing at his question, Sakura grinned once she stopped. "You're right. She'll probably blame it on you."

When they did make it down to the lobby, Shikaku was the first to speak to them when they walked up. "You're five minutes late."

"It was Sakura's fault." Shikamaru immediately replied.

"Tch," Sakura hummed, and crossed her arms. "Wow you didn't even hesitate before pointing that out."

"You shouldn't have been late," Yoshino said, directing her words to her son, before looking to Sakura. "You look beautiful Sakura."

Smiling back at Yoshino, Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "Thank you. Your dress is really pretty."

Just the fact that his mother had brought attention back to what Sakura was wearing got Shikamaru's eyes back to focusing on Sakura. Checking her out shamelessly. It wasn't until he felt an elbow nudging his side, that he realized he had spaced out.

"If you're done staring, we should probably go ahead and follow them." Shikaku said, a sly grin on his face at how that made his son's face go red.

Grumbling under his breath in annoyance, Shikamaru just moved to go with his dad to catch up to his mom and Sakura. Twenty minutes later they were being given a tour through one of the many vineyards on the property. It was in the middle of a small valley between where the main hot springs buildings were, and a higher up hill where there were more vineyards and buildings.

While his parents were more focused on what the tour guide was saying, both Sakura and Shikamaru were trailing slightly behind. Sakura getting distracted by little things here and there, and Shikamaru just for lack of interest of actually doing this tour. With his focus up on the clouds, Shikamaru was drowning out the rest of the world around them.

"Hey." Sakura's voice interrupted Shikamaru's thoughts, and he felt her hand grab his to stop him from walking. He looked at her to see her pointing a few feet back behind him.

"It's a cat," Sakura said, a big smile on her face as an orange tabby cat strolled out from behind some of the grapevines. She leaned slightly over, and held out her free hand. When it came up to her, it sniffed at her hand, then proceeded to rub it's head against it. "Aw, it's so cute."

"You can't adopt it." Was Shikamaru's first instinct reaction.

"I'm not going to," Sakura replied, then she smiled at the cat continued rubbing it's head up against her hand. "But, it's precious."

Shikamaru shook his head, and smiled at her. "See you say that you don't want to adopt it, but I don't believe you at all. From everything you've told me, you'd adopt every animal on this planet if you could."

"And what's wrong with that?" Sakura countered, sticking out her tongue at him.

"Hey, what are you two doing?!" Yoshino's call was heard from all the way over on the other side of the vineyard. She was stopped with her husband and the tour guide, and had her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, Sakura saw a cat and we had to stop so she could pet it!" Shikamaru called back, then he grinned. "It is very important!"

That had made Sakura laugh, and in the distance it was obvious his dad was laughing. However, his mom had just shook her head. "Let's keep it moving, we have a lot to see and do today!"

"We'll be right there!" Shikamaru called back, as he looked down to Sakura. Pulling lightly on her hand. "Say goodbye to the cat."

"But I don't want to," Sakura replied, but sighed after another moment of petting the cat. She straightened up, and looked down at the orange cat. "Goodbye my new friend."

Laughing at Sakura's dramatic words, Shikamaru shook his head, and pulled her hand to start walking. "Let's go catch up to my parents before my mom decides to disown me."

"Oh being disowned isn't that bad," Sakura said, smiling as they walked side by side to catch up to his parents. "My mom disowned me for an entire day when I was 13, and it was liberating."

"Why only for one day?" Shikamaru asked.

"Because I had a complete break down at the end of the day because I missed her, and I needed her to love me again," Sakura replied, laughing as that made Shikamaru laugh. "It was liberating for the eight hours I was on my own though."

Once again they both laughed. They had caught up to Shikamaru's parents, who had turned to keep walking with the tour guide once they deemed them close enough. Sakura, who was mumbling about how she wanted to start tasting wine, was finally starting to focus in on the tour. When Shikamaru realized she was distracted, his eyes slid over to her, then slowly downward. Stopping finally at where his hand had remained holding hers. His eyes moved back up to her face, then finally back forward. Not letting go of her hand as they walked.

 **That evening at dinner**

Having spent the last few hours touring the different vineyards and having many different sampling sessions, they were now up on the other side of the valley than their hot springs building was. In a popular restaurant in the area, and they were seated out on the balcony. The view was over the entire valley, and they could see the lights from the hot springs on the other side.

"This has been a really fun day." Yoshino was saying, her eyes on Sakura.

Laughing along with Yoshino, Sakura sipped her wine, then she laughed again. "It has been. We got so much sun and exercise today, I think this makes up for how much we've been inside the past couple months."

"It has." Yoshino agreed, laughing along with Sakura as she sipped her wine.

Meanwhile, Shikaku and Shikamaru were trading smirks across the table. Shikamaru leaned slightly over to whisper to his dad. "I think they're getting a little tipsy."

"They've certainly enjoyed all the wine we tasted today," Shikaku agreed, chuckling, as he shook his head as his wife and Sakura started laughing again. "Should we intervene?"

"Nah," Shikamaru replied after a moment, a smile on his face at the sight of Sakura and his mom talking excitedly about something. "They're having fun. Plus, if they drink enough, maybe we'll get to sleep in a little longer than usual."

"Good thinking." Shikaku agreed with his son, making them both laugh at the same time Sakura and Yoshino started laughing.

Sakura stopped laughing to finish her wine glass just as the waiter came back to the table. "Oh, could we have a bottle of the West Sage merlot?" She asked, the waiter nodded and went to go retrieve a bottle. Sakura's eyes just went to Yoshino. "They have this original merlot here at the winery that tastes amazing. It's my favorite. I can't wait for you to taste it."

"I can't wait either." Yoshino agreed, finishing off her own glass of wine, then she laughed. Hardly noticing how her husband and son were smirking at one another.

"So when are we going to discuss which of the wines we want to use for the party?" Shikaku questioned after they had stopped laughing.

Yoshino and Sakura shared a look, before Yoshino looked back to her husband. "We can do that tomorrow. We have plenty of time."

"We're leaving here tomorrow at 6, and we already have a pretty busy day tomorrow before then." Shikaku reminded his wife, smiling at how she laughed at his words.

"Oh don't worry, we'll be fine." Yoshino replied, then her focus went over to Sakura when the waiter brought the new bottle of wine over.

Shikamaru smirked at the much more relaxed side to his mother that he didn't see that often. His eyes moved to Sakura, and he shook his head. It wasn't unusual to see her like this, but it amused him even still.

"Hey," Sakura said, her eyes going to him. "You have to try this, and you have to like it. Because I really like it."

"That makes sense." Was Shikamaru's sarcastic reply, as he smirked at her.

"I knew you'd understand." Sakura told him seriously with a nod of her head. Reaching to grab the bottle of merlot. Laughing along with him.

 **An hour later**

Having just made it back to the room, both Sakura and Shikamaru were laughing as they walked into the room. With the slight buzz from all the wine they've had, it had led to them both laughing on and off over random things on their way back from the restaurant.

"I need to pee so bad." Sakura said, after her laughter died down. Kicking off her sandals and dropping her hat and sunglasses on the table in the room.

"Then go," Shikamaru told her, laughing at her hesitating in the first place. "I can change out here."

Sakura nodded and went to use the bathroom, as well as taking care of brushing her teeth while she was in there. When she walked out, she caught Shikamaru's eyes from where he was sitting on his bed. Dressed for bed.

"Took you long enough." Shikamaru told her, smirking at her sticking out her tongue at him, as he walked past her to the bathroom.

Waiting until after she heard the bathroom door close, Sakura changed into pajamas. Relieved to take off the dress, and happy to be in her comfortable pajamas. Once changed, she moved to open the balcony doors, and stepped out. There were no clouds in the sky, so she was able to see the stars clearly. Hearing the sounds of steps behind her caught her attention, but her eyes remained up on the sky. She laughed at the thought of the day. "Today was fun."

Shikamaru's laugh followed her words. "Between the cat friend you made and all the wine you drank, I'm not surprised to hear you say that."

That made them both laugh. When Sakura's laughter died down, she sighed, and smiled up at the starry sky. "The view is beautiful tonight."

"It is."

Hearing Shikamaru's voice beside her now, Sakura's eyes slid over to see him standing close to her. After a moment of watching his eyes, she turned to face him. Remaining silent as they stared at one another. She got that fluttering feeling inside of her at the way he looked at her.

The silence carried on, as Shikamaru reached his hand up to push her hair back from her eyes. Then before he really realized what he was doing, he had leaned forward, and he kissed her.

Feeling his lips against hers, Sakura kissed back without hesitation. That fluttering feeling inside of her turned into a spark of fire, as her heart raced. While the kiss only lasted ten seconds, it felt like hours before they broke it. Opening her eyes to meet his, she felt almost breathless looking at him now. They kept each others gaze in silence. Finally Sakura turned in the direction of the door. "It's getting late."

Shikamaru just barely caught the sight of a smile on her face, before she walked to the doors.

"Goodnight Shikamaru." Sakura said before she walked inside.

Shikamaru watched Sakura's shadow on the curtain's, as she was getting in bed. Then when she turned off her light, his eyes moved up to the sky. The stars seeming to dance before his eyes. Finally, a smile broke out on his face. This elated high feeling was one he hadn't felt before, but one he wanted to feel again. Standing out there for a few more minutes, he moved to go inside. Walking into their dark room, he quietly closed the doors, and moved over to his bed. Getting into bed, he paused before he could lay down. His eyes going across the dark room towards Sakura's bed. "Goodnight Sakura."

 **The next morning, 26th**

Staring at the door for a long moment, Sakura finally had the energy to get out of bed. She brushed through her hair, and frowned as she looked across the room. Unlike her messy, just slept in bed, Shikamaru's bed was made neat. She had listened to him making it about half an hour again. She feigned being asleep since then, and it wasn't until after he had left the room that she had got out of bed. Feeling the extent of her slight hangover when she did.

Putting her her brush down, she slipped on a t-shirt, some jean shorts, and her flip flops before going to leave the room herself. Trailing down the hall, her thoughts spun like a tornado around her throbbing head. Last night rolling through her mind. Her lips meeting his. The spark of fire inside of her. It was all very new feeling, and almost intoxicating.

When she made it downstairs, and to the door to the patio where the hot springs usually held breakfast, she took in a deep breath. Shaking the thoughts of last night from her head, she stepped outside. However, when her eyes found the Nara's, more specifically Shikamaru, she found the thoughts coming right back. Taking in a breath, she started over towards them, and sat down in the last chair at the table with a sigh.

"Oh look who woke up," Yoshino said, a smile on her face, as she waved a hand at Sakura. "Shikamaru said you weren't even awake when he left the room fifteen minutes ago."

"I guess I just need a few extra minutes to wake up." Sakura offered, sighing again, as she rubbed her head.

"Oh I know how you feel," Yoshino said, smiling as a waiter came over with a tray. She accepted the two glasses on top of it, and handed one to Sakura. "I figured some mimosa's would help a little."

"You're an amazing person." Sakura replied, accepting the drink from the older woman. She had just brought it to her mouth and took a sip when her eyes met Shikamaru's. Just by catching his eyes, she got a very vivid feeling like the one from last night, and it caused her to choke a little.

While his wife showed concern for Sakura's coughing, Shikaku was observing. His eyes going back and forth from his son to Sakura. _Something's going on here. This morning Shikamaru has hardly said a word, and Sakura is acting a little strange. I wonder…_

Sakura was still coughing slightly, as she averted her eyes from Shikamaru's, and shook her head. _I need to get it together._

The rest of breakfast went by pretty smoothly. Sakura and Shikamaru didn't say a word to one another the entire time. They had made it all the way through eating food with a word.

"Are you done?"

Shikamaru's question was clearly directed at Sakura, who only looked up from her coffee mug. Her eyes meeting his before dropping down to the table. "Done with what?"

"Eating breakfast," Shikamaru replied, watching her. "Because-"

"I need to go take a shower," Sakura interrupted, as she stood up. "My head is still killing me, and I'm going to try to relax a little before we have to get together to do the rest of the party stuff in the afternoon."

"Alright," Yoshino started, an eyebrow raised at the strange behavior going on between her son and Sakura. "I hope your head feels better."

"Thanks." Was all Sakura said, then she turned to leave the table. Once upstairs and in the room, Sakura was quick to get in the shower, and clean herself up. After she finished bathing, she remained under the stream of hot soothing water, and was left to her thoughts. She knew she probably shouldn't have just left so abruptly like that. But, she didn't know what to say to the questions that Shikamaru could ask her.

Finally after another five minutes of just standing there, Sakura turned the water off. Grabbing a towel, she started to dry herself off a little, before she stepped out of the shower. Her head still giving off an annoying ache, which was helping distract her a little. Once dressed, she walked out into the room, but paused. Shikamaru wasn't in there, but the balcony doors were open. Tiptoeing over to her bed, she tried her best to peek out onto the balcony, but it appeared he wasn't out there.

Releasing the breath she had been holding, she grabbed her comb, and walked out onto the balcony. It was almost eleven, and the sun was bringing on the heat. There were no clouds in the sky to give shade. She focused in on some birds flying around, as she combed her hair. However, the sound of someone landing on the balcony behind her was heard, then along with the sound of the balcony doors shutting. Sighing after a moment, she finished combing her hair. "What did you just hang out on the roof and wait until I walked out?"

"Maybe."

"What exactly do you plan on getting accomplished by keeping me out here?"

"You don't really seem like talking to me this morning." Was Shikamaru's reply.

"I thought that it was coming from both sides for most of the morning," Sakura replied, still not turning to face him, as she kept her eyes on the sky. "It's not just all on me. That's not fair."

"Like you always say to me, life's not fair," Shikamaru shot back, then he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why?"

Knowing what he was asking, Sakura finally turned around to face him, but remained by the railing. Giving them several feet of distance from one another. "I mean do you really want to talk about it?" She countered, still keeping her eyes away from his. "I would think you would rather go watch the sky than talk about something that will probably leave us in an awkward situation."

"And if I would rather deal with the awkward situation?"

That made Sakura's eyes finally meet Shikamaru's. She studied him for a long moment, then she sighed. "Fine."

"Wh-"

"If you're expecting me to tell you that I thought it was a mistake and to pretend it didn't happen then I'm ending this conversation right now," Sakura interrupted him quickly, before crossing her arms. "I'm a go with the flow kind of person, but something like that is not really apart of a flow. It's more like an abrupt turn in the river."

"I'm not going to expect that." Shikamaru said, sighing at the silence then, he looked up at the sky. _She was right, this would be awkward. Usually I wouldn't even bother with this. I wouldn't even think about doing something like kissing a_ _woman_ _, let alone one that is one of my comrades that I see_ _all the time. But these past two months..._

"Then what is there to talk about?" Sakura asked when Shikamaru didn't say anything else."Whatever your point is-"

"Was it because of how much you had to drink?" Shikamaru interrupted her, finally looking back at her again.

Slightly taken aback by his question, Sakura shook her head. "I know how to responsibly drink alcohol Shikamaru. Yesterday I was eating and drinking enough water to balance out the alcohol throughout the day. I admit by the end of the night I was a little buzzed, but no where near the amount it would take to impair my judgment."

It was quiet for a moment as Shikamaru watched her. "So you wanted to?"

"Yes Shikamaru! For goodness sake yes! Yes I wanted to kiss you! If I hadn't wanted to, then I would have pulled away." Sakura told him, feeling irritated with his questions.

Once again silence came over them. This time Shikamaru didn't say a word.

Groaning after a moment, Sakura rubbed her temple with her free hand. _This is fantastic. I love stressful situations when they make my head pound even worse than it already was._

Shikamaru's movement over to Sakura had stopped her sarcastic thoughts. He just grabbed her hand, and began to pull her inside.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura asked, as he continued to pull her until they were in the bathroom. Raising an eyebrow when he started the water in the bathtub. "Shikamaru-"

"Sit," Shikamaru interrupted, as pointed to the side of the tub. "Put your feet in the water, I will be right back."

After he left, Sakura sighed heavily, and stepped into the bathtub. The water was hot, and it stung a little at first. But she got used to it. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, she leaned her back against the wall. Staring up at the ceiling. _What in the hell is this? We finally speak to each other about what happened last night, and there is no freaking closure here. I don't know what in the hell is going on, and now I have my feet in the bath tub._ The sound of footsteps hit her ears, and her eyes met Shikamaru's when he walked into the bathroom. "What exactly-"

"Keep your feet in the tub," Shikamaru commanded at her moving. He turned off the water, and placed his free hand on the back of her head. "Rest your elbows on your knees, and bend your head over to rest on the palms of your hands." When she did as he said, Shikamaru moved to place the wrapped up thing he had in his other hand on the back of her neck.

Sakura suddenly felt coolness on the back of her neck, and it actually felt nice. Sighing when she felt comfortable. "This feels nice."

"Ice pack on the back of the neck and hot water at my feet, my mom did that for me when I was younger when I would get headaches." Shikamaru explained, leaning back against the sink, he put his hands in his pockets.

After a moment of silence, Sakura's curiosity got the best of her. "Did you want to?"

Knowing what she was asking, Shikamaru hummed lowly. "If I hadn't wanted to, then I wouldn't have done it." After he said that, nothing more was said. When the silence carried on for more than a few minutes, he found his eyes moving over to the window. Watching the blue sky. Thinking back to last night. _We both admitted that we wanted to kiss each other… But what does it all mean? I don't really know how to move on from here._

* * *

 **A/N: So... that happened. The much awaited kiss between Sakura and Shikamaru has finally happened. I have known for quite a while when it was going to happen in the story line, and it's been planned that it would happen now verses waiting until the end of the story to do it. That was my favorite scene to write along with the cat in the vineyard scene. What was your favorite?**

 **This is the last chapter before my brief break from this story so I can focus on writing my other stories for a bit. Keep an eye on my social media and my blog to know when I am going to start back uploads for this story. Meanwhile check out my other stories if you want.**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	17. It's Fine

_Review:_

 _After a moment of silence, Sakura's curiosity got the best of her. "Did you want to?"_

 _Knowing what she was asking, Shikamaru hummed lowly. "If I hadn't wanted to, then I wouldn't have done it." After he said that, nothing more was said. When the silence carried on for more than a few minutes, he found his eyes moving over to the window. Watching the blue sky. Thinking back to last night. We both admitted that we wanted to kiss each other… But what does it all mean? I don't really know how to move on from here._

* * *

 **Later that night, back in the Leaf Village**

Hinata found herself being pulled out of her nice dream, and back into consciousness. Feeling Sakura's dogs around her, and Baby was on the pillows above her head. Like they had been every night since Sakura left to go to the hot springs. When she felt Shadow and Tank both start to move, she started to open her eyes. Only to be blinded when the light by her bed was turned on.

"Wake up bitch."

The sound of Sakura's voice had Hinata groaning. Her eyes still squeezed shut after the light having blinded her. Finally cracking one eye open to see Sakura standing by her bed, with both Shadow and Tank by her side. Their tails wagging and happy to see their mom. "What are you-"

"I kissed Shikamaru."

That made Hinata's jaw draw open, as she sat up quickly. Suddenly very much awake. "I'm sorry what?"

"You heard me," Sakura replied, then she started to kick off her shoes. Already dressed in her pajamas. "I kissed Shikamaru- No he kissed me. We kissed each other really. It's a-"

"Sakura, take a breath." Hinata interrupted at her best friend's rambling.

Crawling into bed beside Hinata, Sakura smiled at her dogs getting back to laying down to go back to sleep. Then she reached over to the bedside table where she had set down a brown paper bag in order to properly pet her furbabies before. Pulling out a bottle of wine that already had it's cork out. She took a sip then looked to Hinata. "Yeah, so that happened. Only the one time last night. But then this morning, he asked if I had wanted to kiss him. Which I said yes, and even though he was the one who kissed me last night, I asked him just to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. He told me that if he didn't want to kiss me then he wouldn't have done it. After everything was done being confirmed, we just didn't talk about it again. It was like it happened, but we just didn't address it again out loud. You know?"

Hinata reached over to take the wine bottle, and took a sip. It was their favorite merlot from West Sage. "So is there anything else happening?"

"That's the thing," Sakura started, laughing a little like she lost her mind. "I don't have a fucking clue what's going on. We haven't talked about the kiss again. We haven't talked about anything. All I know is that he wanted to kiss me, and I wanted to kiss him. But-"

"Nothing else happened, I got that part," Hinata said, interrupting her again. It was quiet for another moment. "So… How was it?"

That seemed to grow a smile on Sakura's face, as she thought back to the moment. "It was like there was this little fluttering feeling inside me everytime it almost happened. Then last night when it finally did happen, that fluttering feeling turned to fire- in a good way of course… It was like a high."

"Got it," Hinata said with a nod, then she took another long drink from the wine bottle. "Can I just say that I called this a while ago?"

Snatching the bottle back from Hinata, Sakura took a drink. "You don't have to rub it in," she said, taking another sip of the wine. "I'm not sure what's going to happen now. I hate this feeling of not knowing."

That only made Hinata shrug. "I know you feel like you have to always be in control, and you have to know what's coming next. But if anything, maybe a little spontaneity will do you good."

Groaning, Sakura leaned back against the pillows on Hinata's bed. "No, being spontaneous is something we both do really well."

"That's a good thing isn't it?"

"No, because now I'm going to be paranoid every five seconds that he's going to decide to be spontaneous and kiss me again." Sakura replied, taking another long drink of wine, then she passed the bottle back over to Hinata.

"Well, I think even if you didn't think about it, you'd still find a way to be paranoid. That's just how you are."

That had Sakura glaring back at her friend. "You're not being very supportive."

That made Hinata laugh sarcastically, as she took a long drink of wine. "Sakura, it's one o'clock in the morning, and I didn't murder you for waking me up. I'm also listening to your rambles. I'd say that's pretty damn supportive."

"Yeah you're right," Sakura agreed after a moment, as she rubbed her temples. "I'm just being a bit neurotic right now."

"I haven't noticed," Hinata mumbled back sarcastically, then she sighed. "Everything's going to be fine. You just need to relax, and not think about it. If something else happens then maybe then it's something to think about. But it was just one kiss. Sure you both wanted to do it, but that doesn't necessarily mean either one of you are ready to act on that."

"That's a good idea," Sakura agreed with a nod of her head. Taking the wine bottle back to take a sip. "I'll just be calm and not think about it. If anything else happens, then that's the time to think about it..." She trailed off, and sipped the wine. Then it remained quiet as she stared at the ceiling. "But what if I'm wrong?"

That made Hinata sigh, as she felt back on her pillows. "I have a feeling I'm not going to get much sleep tonight."

 **In the morning**

Opening the door to the Nara house, Sakura let her dogs trot in first, then she let Baby jump down from her arms.

"Someone got up early."

Hearing Shikaku's voice, Sakura offered a smile in the direction of the couches. Shikaku and Yoshino on one, and Shikamaru on the other. But she kept her eyes on his parents. "I actually left last night. After we got home, I dropped my stuff off, changed into my pajamas, and went over to Hinata's. I missed my furbabies. Plus we ended up drinking the entire bottle of wine I brought over there, so I figured that I should just sleep over there..."

Sakura had trailed off as her eyes had caught Shikamaru's finally. It got awkwardly silent in the room, as they kept each other's eyes.

"What's going on here?" Yoshino asked after a moment, her eyes going back and forth from her son to Sakura.

"Nothing." Sakura and Shikamaru chorused. Shikamaru moved to get up from the couch and grabbed their work folder from the coffee table. "I've got to go check out some of the businesses that are renting stalls at the festival."

"I've got to go get dressed and make sure we have the finalized layout for the party together." Sakura said, then moved to go down the hall to go to her room.

Shikamaru had moved to go out the front door. It was quiet in the living room, as Yoshino shook her head. "They are acting strange."

"First yesterday, then today." Shikaku added, humming as he shook his head. He knew his son well that something indeed had happened between the two.

 **The next day around noon, the 28th of June**

Walking into the Nara house, Sakura sighed heavily as she shut the door behind her. With a little more force than usual. The dogs had come over to greet her, and she tried to put her focus on them. After giving them some love, she moved over to the couch Shikamaru was on, across from his parents.

"Did I hear your mother this morning Sakura?" Yoshino asked at the sight of the pink haired woman. When the younger woman nodded, Yoshino smiled. "She was here early. I didn't even get out of bed until eight."

"Yeah, she decided to drop in to start her scolding on my life choices early." Sakura replied, sighing as she sat down on the couch.

It was quiet for a moment, then Shikamaru cleared his throat. "You look like you've had a fun morning."

At the first thing Shikamaru had said to her in nearly two days, Sakura was slightly taken aback, but she let it go. "You've gone blind… My mother is driving me crazy."

"It can't be that bad," Shikamaru replied, a smirk appearing on his face. "You have your whole family in the village for the party tomorrow. I'm surprised you're not out planning trouble with your siblings."

"Oh, we're all hiding from my mother," Sakura said, actually smiling at the thought. "Apparently she found out finally what we did last time we were together, and she's ready to kill us all."

Laughing at that, Shikamaru settled with a smirk on his face. "And who told you not to go out and do that?"

"The same person who's trying to tell me he's not one of my mother's spies, but is awfully suspicious." Sakura countered, making them both laugh.

At their laughter, Shikaku had raised an eyebrow, and Yoshino had smiled. "Well this is certainly a welcome change. Shikaku and I were wondering why the air between you two was so tense yesterday."

That actually made Sakura and Shikamaru return back to silence. However, Sakura broke it first. "I bet Hinata that I could go an entire day without speaking to Shikamaru, but I just didn't tell Shikamaru that. So he thought I was really mad at him, but it's all good now."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her quick lie, but accepted it. "Yeah, that's what happened."

"Right… Well I made lunch, you're sandwiches are in the refrigerator," Yoshino started, as she got up from the couch. "You two need to go ahead and eat. We have a lot of stuff to get done before the party tomorrow."

"Speaking of," Shikamaru started, picking up the list his mom had given him a few minutes ago. "This list you gave us has way too much for us to do in one day."

"It's not that bad Shikamaru." Yoshino replied, going to get their sandwiches out of the refrigerator.

"Uh yeah, it is," Shikamaru said, his eyes going to Sakura who had reached over to take the list from him. "It has over fifty things for us to do."

Sakura hummed as she flipped through the pages. "It's not going to be that bad. A lot of these tasks are small, or just us confirming things."

Yoshino nodded with a smile. "Exactly. Thank you Sakura."

That made Shikamaru mumble under his breath, then he let his head fall back on the couch. Sighing heavily. "This is going to be the longest day."

Shikaku smirked at his son's words. "I agree. Too bad we can't escape this one."

Shikamaru chuckled but stopped when his mom walked over and propped her hands on her hips. "Relax mom, we'll get it done."

"Oh I know you will." His mother replied with a you-better-or-else type tone, which made Sakura and Shikaku laugh, and Shikamaru gulp.

 **After lunch**

Starting on the list once they finished eating, Sakura and Shikamaru were upstairs, and spread out on the floor. Shadow stretched out alongside Sakura. Tank was more on his own, and was laying on his back with his paws up.

"So basically you're parents are trusting us to make sure all this stuff is straightened out for the party tomorrow?" Sakura asked, taking a sip of her water, then focusing back down on the papers she had been organizing. They had got back to normal conversation since she got back home, and hadn't mentioned anything about what happened at the winery.

"Yeah so if we screw something up, we're responsible for ruining the entire party." Shikamaru replied, having been sitting across from Sakura a few feet away, and checking off one of the tasks they just finished. His parents were with the Hokage now, and were making sure all the important guests were settling in well to their hotels or houses they'd be staying in for the week.

"Perfect." Sakura said, writing, "don't screw shit up" in big letters across the top of her paper.

Watching her write that down, Shikamaru reached over and took the pen from her. "Are you kidding me?" He started, laughing as he set the pen down. "If my mom sees's it she's probably not going to find it all that funny."

"It's fine." Was Sakura's nonchalant reply.

"So my mom getting explosively angry is fine?" Shikamaru asked, smirking at her Sakura's shrug.

"Probably not… But it's fine." Sakura replied, making them both start laughing.

Their laughter was cut short with the sound of a few thuds on the other side of the room. They looked over to see Baby had jumped up on the fourth row on the bookshelf, and in the process had knocked over a few books onto the floor.

Shikamaru chuckled at Baby having frozen up and looked right at them as if she got caught. "Why?"

Sakura was laughing too, as she stood up to put some of their work on the desk in the room. "Don't worry Shikamaru. It's fine."

Laughing at her saying that again, Shikamaru shook his head, and moved over to put their checklist on the desk. Smirking at the sight of Baby moving to lay down on the shelf, causing more books to fall. "Let me guess-"

"It's fine," Sakura interrupted him, making them both laugh again, as she moved over to the bookshelf. Picking up the fallen books, she set them on the shelf, but left Baby up there. Scratching her behind the ears, she smiled. "You're being destructive today."

"Story of your life." Shikamaru said, smirking as he moved over to the bookshelf to grab another book that Baby knocked over when she stretched out.

"I'm not that destructive," Sakura replied, smiling as she watched him. "Just when I'm angry, or stressed… Or sometimes when I'm really super excited or happy. Or-"

"Pretty much every moment of your life," Shikamaru interrupted, straightening up to put the book back on the shelf, and his smirk returned to his face. "It's fine."

Laughing at Shikamaru repeating what she had said to him before, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah I guess-" She was interrupted when he stepped forward and kissed her. Without hesitation, she kissed him right back. When their kiss broke, she stared at him for a long moment, then she turned to go back to the desk. "So we need to go finish the centerpieces for the table."

Smirking at her fidgeting with the papers, Shikamaru moved to walk past her, and picked up the check list. "Alright let's go."

 **A couple hours later**

"Okay that's the last one," Sakura said, reaching up to push her hair out of her face, and noticed that she had black paint from painting the lanterns all over her hands. The lanterns were going to be in the center of the leaves and flowers on the centerpieces for each table. "We just have to go put them on the tables."

"You've got a little paint on your face," Shikamaru started, after walking over with the checklist. He had gone to finish another task, as Sakura had insisted on painting the lanterns because it was more fun than what he was doing. He reached over to pick up some of her hair. "And some in your hair."

"Yeah, I know," Sakura replied, then she smiled. "It's fine."

Shikamaru chuckled as he let go of her hair. "I finished up setting up the actual tables in the right places, and I managed to get a couple splinters in the process. But don't worry, it's fine."

"Let me see." Sakura said, holding out her hand for his, as she laughed. Getting the splinters out of his hands carefully.

Focusing on her face as they stood there in silence, Shikamaru held a growing smile on his face. He waited until she finished with the last splinter, then leaned his head down to kiss her when she looked up.

Once again Sakura was caught off guard but kissed him back. When their kiss broke this time, her face was all sorts of red, and she stared back at him. Trying to appear annoyed, she crossed her arms and turned her head away from him. "Stop doing that."

Seeing how flustered she had got only made Shikamaru smirk, as he moved to walk past her. "I'll try my best not to do it again," he told her, noticing that had her irritated look drop right off her face before he passed her. Reaching down for one of the centerpieces for the table. "So we just take these-"

"No, I just painted that one," Sakura interrupted quickly, trying to push off the flustered feeling, and she pointed over to the other side of the room where the finished and dry centerpieces were. "Those first."

 **A few hours later**

Walking around another one of the big round tables, Sakura and Shikamaru were checking to make sure all the seats at the tables added up to the guests planned per table. Sakura was in charge of checking off the tables, as Shikamaru was counting and moving chairs if need be.

"Fifteen." Shikamaru said after counting another table. They were trying to make sure they could get this done faster, as his mom had asked them to come back to help with the actual name tags for the tables when they were done.

"Okay, we need one less chair at that table." Sakura spoke up and moved to help readjust the chairs after he took one away. Moving onto the next table where they had to add a chair, she helped readjust a couple of the chairs, then stopped to watch him. Thinking back to the times he kissed her earlier that day, then their first kiss back at the winery.

"Yeah, this is basically like a game of musical chairs that I didn't want to play, but it's fine." Shikamaru was saying, as he continued moving around the table, spreading the chairs out as he went. When got over to where Sakura was, he finally stopped. "Is that good?"

"Hmmm."

At Sakura's lack of response, Shikamaru's eyes went to her. Seeing her holding the clipboard down by her legs, as she was clearly staring at him. "Why are you staring-"

"I really want to kiss you right now."

Not saying anything response, Shikamaru kept her eyes in silence.

After another moment of silence, Sakura stepped closer to him, and kissed him. Having had to lift slightly on her toes to do so, one of her hands moved to his arm to steady herself.

The kiss lasted longer than the one's earlier that day, and when they finally broke it their eyes met. Nothing was said, as they stood there staring at one another.

"Hello!" Yoshino's voice was heard, as had walked back over from the house. Finally catching sight of her son and Sakura she frowned at them. "What's taking so long you two? I need you back in the house. These name tags for the tables aren't going to make themselves."

"We're almost done, mom." Shikamaru replied after a moment, watching his mom shake her head, and cross her arms to watch them finish the rest. His eyes moved back to Sakura. However, she had already moved onto the next table. Still feeling as if his heart was racing, he took a breath and moved to join her.

 **Later that night**

Laying back on the couch in the sunroom, Sakura's eyes were looking out the high glass windows to the stars. The dogs were in and out of the backyard, as the screen door was propped open for them. She could hear the sound of katydid bugs outside. It reminded her of spending nights sleeping outside on missions, or sleeping out in the sunroom at her parents house. She had been out there since after taking her shower after dinner and was trying to relax after the busy day they had.

She had faintly heard the sound of Shikamaru talking in the living room. Saying goodnight to his parents who must be turning in for the night. She didn't hear anything else apart from the katydid bugs for a long moment.

Footsteps were heard right before Shikamaru appeared in the doorway that led into the living room. He stopped and put his hands in his pockets.

Sakura's eyes moved over to see him across the room. However, like him, she didn't say anything.

Finally, Shikamaru moved his hands out of his pockets and walked over to her. Moving to sit on the couch, just as she had sat up. Reaching a hand up to pull her closer, then he kissed her. Unlike the last times they kissed one another, this kiss didn't stop. It continued on, as Shikamaru guided Sakura slowly to lying back on the couch. Growing more heated as time went pn.

After a while, Shikamaru did break the kiss, as his eyes met hers. "We haven't really talked about any of this."

Not really wanting to stop, Sakura hummed. "We don't have to talk right now."

After Sakura said that, they had started kissing again. However, Shikamaru once again broke the kiss after another couple minutes. "I get that, but it's not like we didn't have the time to talk about it today."

"We had a busy day," Sakura started with a sigh at him stopping again. "Besides, anytime we could have talked about it, we ended up actually kissing each other. But, it's fine."

When Sakura started kissing him again, this time Shikamaru broke their kiss pretty quickly. His eyes meeting hers with a frown on her face.

Sighing once again, Sakura pushed back on his chest to get him to sit up so she could sit up. "You're not going to let this go are you?"

Shikamaru shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I don't know if we should talk about this or not."

Watching him for a long moment, Sakura finally smiled. "I'm surprised you care to talk about it so much."

"Well, it's more like I want to know what you want," Shikamaru replied, but then he shook his head. "I mean it's not like I don't want to talk about it, but I just want to know if you want to talk about it."

That put a smile on Sakura's face. _He cares what I think about it… Hinata told me that if something like us kissing happened again, then it's something to think about._ Humming after a moment, Sakura met his eyes. "I'm not sure what there is to talk about at the moment. But maybe once we figure it out, then there will be something to talk about."

"That doesn't really make sense," Shikamaru started, watching the smile grow on her face. He finally smirked. "But I guess it's fine right?"

Laughing, Sakura nodded once. "It's fine."

Shikamaru moved back close to kiss her. Soon forgetting the conversation they needed to have, as he gently pushed her by her shoulders so she was laying back on the couch again.

 **A half hour later**

Laying back in her bed, Sakura's eyes moved up to the ceiling, and they had to refocus as she had just turned her light off. The ceiling fan was going, and the room felt relaxing. Shadow and Tank were on either side of her, and they seemed to be snoring in synch with one another. Baby was up above her head on the pillows and was kneading away at them. One of her hands was up and scratching Baby under the chin.

Having said goodnight to Shikamaru around ten minutes ago, she felt kind of numb as she had got ready for bed. Now that she was laying down and had a chance to think, she felt the numbness dying down a bit. _We kissed each other multiple times today. How did we go from one kiss, to not talking to each other at all, then hardly able to keep away from each other today? I don't know what to think at this point. It's not like I haven't dated other guys before, but for some reason, this time feels different. Although, I can't really say I'm dating Shikamaru. All we've done is kiss…_

Trailing off, Sakura's hand moved up to her mouth at the thought of their kiss. The fluttering feeling inside of her seemed to grow, and along with it was her smile.

 **A/N: So the day before the party things certainly have heated up between Sakura and Shikamaru. The next week of activities will certainly be interesting between these two. My favorite scene to write was the one when they were out fixing the chairs around the tables. What was yours?**

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	18. That's The Truth

_Review:_

 _Having said goodnight to Shikamaru around ten minutes ago, she felt kind of numb as she had got ready for bed. Now that she was laying down and had a chance to think, she felt the numbness dying down a bit. We kissed each other multiple times today. How did we go from one kiss, to not talking to each other at all, then hardly able to keep away from each other today? I don't know what to think at this point. It's not like I haven't dated other guys before, but for some reason this time feels different. Although, I can't really say I'm dating Shikamaru. All we've done is kiss… _

_Trailing off, Sakura's hand moved up to her mouth at the thought of their kiss. The fluttering feeling inside of her seemed to grow, and along with it was her smile._

* * *

 **The next morning, June 29th**

Opening the door, Sakura groaned at Shadow and Tank bolting past her to get out. Holding Baby in her arms, she started her way down the hall. Barely able to keep her eyes open. When she did get to the living room, she had just got the front door open enough for both Shadow and Tank to bolt out. Yawning, she turned to face the rest of the living room and the kitchen. Her eyes going more towards the kitchen, but the sight made her jump. Her eyes met the gray one's of her mother's. "Gah!"

Sighing at her daughter's reaction, Midori frowned. "Haha, you're really funny Sakura."

Sakura brought a hand to her chest to take a breath dramatically. "You scared me. What are you doing here?"

"About to have breakfast," her mother replied, then she motioned to Yoshino, who was standing by her, as the two appeared to be working on breakfast. "Yoshino and Shikaku invited us over."

"Us?" Sakura questioned, her eyes moving to the sunroom at the sound of voices. Catching sight of Shikaku, Shikamaru, and her dad walking in from the sunroom. A smile popped up on her face, as she darted across the room. Setting Baby down on the top of the couch as she went. Running right into her dad's arms as she laughed. "Daddy."

"Good morning princess." Akio greeted his daughter back with a smile.

Midori scowled at the sight, and she looked to Yoshino. "Do you see how she treats the two of us? When it was just me she didn't want anything to do with me, but as soon as she see's her dad she's all of a sudden happy."

Yoshino laughed and shook her head. "I know the feeling sometimes."

Sakura pulled back from hugging her dad, and a mischievous smirk appeared on her face in her mother's direction. "I have no idea what you're talking about, I think you're imagining it."

Rolling her eyes at her daughter's words, Midori sipped her coffee. "Of course I am."

"Glad we're on the same page," Sakura shot back, then turned to go grab coffee herself.

"That was sarcasm." Midori told her daughter, then rolled her eyes again at her daughter's laughter.

"So how long are you two staying?" Shikamaru asked, moving to sit down at the bar. His coffee already made.

"Just for breakfast," Akio answered, moving over to stand by his wife, as he kissed the top of her head. "We have a lot of things to do before that party tonight."

Midori's smile grew at the thought. "All of my other babies are going to be in the village today, and I need to see all them as soon as I can."

Sakura scoffed, then put a smile on her face as she poured creamer in her coffee. "And I bet it's going to be so much better since I'm not going to be there."

"Well with that attitude-" Midori broke off, then sighed at Sakura's smirk. "I don't appreciate you implying that I have favorites with you and your siblings."

"Okay well speaking as one of your kids, I don't really think you can say that." Sakura shot back, as she moved over to stand by the bar. Leaning her arms lightly on the bar top after sipping her coffee.

Shikamaru watched Sakura come to stand right next to where he was sitting without really thinking about it, and he had to hide the growing smile with his coffee cup. "I can already tell you're in the mood to start problems. You're going to make breakfast hell."

"Watch your mouth," Yoshino warned her son, then she grabbed a stack of plates. "You two can go set the table."

"Will do," Sakura said, taking another sip of her coffee, then accepting the plates from Yoshino. Her eyes went to Shikamaru who was grabbing the silverware and napkins. "Me? Causing problems? You don't know what you're talking about."

"Actually I do," Shikamaru replied, moving to follow her to the dining room. "I've lived with you for the past two months, and you've caused me so many problems. You're the most troublesome person I have ever met in my entire life."

Sakura laughed, as she walked into the dining room. "I'm the opposite of trouble."

"Have you met you?" Shikamaru countered, following her. "Let me introduce you to yourself then."

The rest of what Shikamaru was saying got muffled by the distance, but the sound of Sakura's laughter was clearly heard. The two sets of parents in the kitchen had been focusing on the conversation without really realizing it. "Something has changed here."

Midori nodded in agreement with her husband, as her eyes went to Shikamaru's parents. "What's happening there?"

"Honestly, it's up in the air at this point," Yoshino replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "There was actually two days when they weren't speaking to each other at all recently."

"We thought something happened before we left the winery a few days ago," Shikaku added, sipping at his coffee. "But Sakura insisted yesterday morning that it was all just a joke. Nothing was wrong. They've been fine ever since."

Yoshino laughed then. "We didn't believe their excuse of course, but we didn't say anything. Something definitely happened, and the two are being very secretive about it."

Midori hummed in thought. "Well I'll have a word with Hinata lately, and see what I can get out of her. I'll let you know if I figure anything out."

"I don't really think that's a good idea," Akio said, his eyes on his wife. "Going to her best friend that is."

"Oh, we talk about Sakura all the time-"

"That's typically when Sakura's in some sort of trouble or in the process of causing trouble." Akio interrupted his wife, but he still smiled. "Don't worry. She'll talk about it eventually. Besides, we don't even know if there is anything to tell."

"There is." Midori and Yoshino chorused.

 **A few hours later, four o'clock**

Sighing as she walked in front of the mirror in the room, Sakura smoothed the skirt of her white dress down a bit. The skirt of the dress reached a couple inches above her knees, and had red and yellow flowers with green leaves on it. The top of the dress was solid white, with a lower square neckline, and inch wide straps holding it up. It was a nice dress, but she certainly wasn't looking forward to having to wear it for the next several hours.

Fixing a couple of the curls in her hair, she turned away from the mirror, and left her room. The white and beige wedge heels she was wearing were making a lot of noise as she went. Once she stepped out in the living room, she reached down to pet Shadow and Tank who came in from being let outside one last time before they left.

Shikamaru had been sitting on the couch, and looked over to her when she walked in the room. Just by the sight of her had that strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. The thought of kissing her yesterday, and how he wanted to do it right now. But his parents walking in the room held him back.

Yoshino smiled at the sight of Sakura. "You look really pretty Sakura. I knew that dress would look amazing on you."

"I think you both look nice." Shikaku added, then he kissed his wife.

"Thank you." Yoshino and Sakura chorused. Yoshino moved to go pick up a clipboard, then motioned for her son to get up. "We need to go out to double check everything is ready."

"Sounds good to me," Sakura said, as they all started outside after she said her goodbyes to her dogs and Baby. Carefully stepping down the stairs of the porch, then moving to follow behind Shikaku and Yoshino. "The sooner we get to starting this thing, the sooner I get to eat food. I'm starving."

"Well what else did you expect?" Shikamaru asked her, falling into step alongside her, as he put his hands in his pockets. "You didn't eat lunch."

"Because I had to shave my legs. The downside to wearing this ridiculous dress," Sakura replied, as she smoothed the skirt down again. "I'd rather be wearing leggings and the biggest most comfortable t-shirt I could find."

Shikamaru chuckled at that, as he looked over to her. "Well, I think you look beautiful in the dress."

That had Sakura's cheeks grow slightly warm, but she smiled through it. "Thank you," she said, eying his white button down shirt, and khakis. "You look nice too."

"Thanks, but I'd rather be in shorts and the most comfortable t-shirt I could fine." Shikamaru replied, making them both crack up laughing.

Unknown to them, Shikaku and Yoshino could easily hear them even with the distance between them. Yoshino's eyes met her husband's, she smiled, then looked back ahead of them once they reached the area the party was going to be in. Turning back to Sakura and her son, she crossed her arms. "Shikamaru, your father and I are going to go make sure everything with the staff for the party is straightened out. You and Sakura will be going around the venue itself and-"

"Making sure everything is perfect and spotless," Shikamaru interrupted, a smirk on his face. "Don't worry mom, we got it."

Yoshino nodded after a moment. "Very well. We start greeting people in half an hour, so you two need to be by the front by then."

 **A half hour later**

"Ino, would you slow down?"

"I just want to find them before it gets too crowded," Ino replied, then she turned around. "You're taller than me, help me out here Sai."

"I'm not that much taller." Sai replied, shaking his head, as he smirked back at her.

"I see him." Kiba's voice was heard, as he and the rest of their friends walked over. Not in as much of a hurry as Ino was. He pointed over to one of the many big white tents the staff for the event had to work in. Out walked Shikamaru, then Sakura was not too far behind.

"There's Sakura too." Hinata said, smirking at the sight of Sakura and Shikamaru laughing together.

"Hey Shikamaru!" Choji called out, getting the attention of Shikamaru.

"Sakura!" Ino called out as well, as she waved over to her friend. "Remember us? The people you never see anymore!"

That had Sakura rolling her eyes, as she and Shikamaru approached. She crossed her arms when they stopped by their friends. "We've been busy with a lot of stuff-"

"That dress is amazing." Ino interrupted Sakura, completely changing the subject to what Sakura was wearing.

Sakura shrugged once Ino stopped with all her comments about it. "It's nothing special. I just grabbed it last minute at the winery a few days ago."

"Tch, nothing special," Ino said, rolling her eyes, as she crossed her arms. "I actually hate you for looking so perfect."

"Thanks Ino, I love you too," Sakura replied, her eyes went to Naruto and Sai, and she smiled. "And look at my boys all dressed up. You look so handsome."

Both Naruto and Sai grumbled at her embarrassing them.

"Well," Sakura said, as she put a smile on her face. "There is a first time for everything I guess."

"Hey!" Naruto and Sai chorused, making the others laugh.

"Shikamaru! Sakura!"

Hearing their names had both Sakura and Shikamaru sharing a look. Shikamaru sighing. "We're already going to get scolded, and the party hasn't even really started yet."

Unlike Shikamaru, Sakura laughed, and held a smile on her face. "We'll be fine."

"Shikamaru! Sakura!" This time the person calling them was definitely Shikamaru's mother.

That immediately dropped Sakura's smile from her face, as her eyes met Shikamaru's again. "Maybe not."

Yoshino appeared beside them, and whacked Shikamaru on with the papers she was holding. "Shikamaru what are you doing? You two are supposed to be over in the front to greet the people coming in."

"Why are you only getting mad at me?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing his arm.

Yoshino smiled, as she rested a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Because Sakura hasn't been attending these parties like you have," she said, then she sighed with irritation in her eyes. "Although with how much avoiding you have done in the past few years, I highly doubt you know any better than she does."

That made Sakura laugh again. "That's the truth."

"Either way, I expect more from you when you know how important this party is." Yoshino told her son, as she stopped her laughter.

Sighing, Shikamaru only saw the look on his mom's face, and knew it was best not to disagree. "We'll go to the front."

"Good," Shikamaru's mom said, her smile returning to her face. She focused back on Sakura. "Don't be afraid to give him a good reminder to stay on top of things Sakura. Keep him in line."

"Right." Sakura said, having to hold back her laughter as she just kept her smile on her face. After Shikamaru's mom left, Sakura started laughing.

Shikamaru grunted and rolled his eyes. "Great, is this how it is going to be for the rest of the day? Me getting in trouble for every little thing that goes wrong?"

"I'm not seeing the problem." Sakura told him with a grin.

"Come on." Was all Shikamaru said in response, as he took her hand to start toward the front.

"We'll see you guys later," Sakura told their friends hurriedly, then she turned back forward to walk beside Shikamaru. "Would you slow down?"

Once at they gate they started meeting guests like they were supposed to be doing since the start. It seemed like they greeted over seventy people, before a couple of familiar faces showed up. "Misaki," Sakura started, smiling at her golden blonde haired best friend, as she hugged. "You dressed up."

"Well, sweatpants and a t-shirt aren't appropriate to wear to these types of things." Misaki replied, laughing along with Sakura.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow hearing that. "That's eerie. I swear Sakura has said that same exact thing before."

Daitaro smirked from where he was standing beside his wife. "I know, it's quite terrifying how similar they are."

"Aw you think we're terrifying," Sakura said, as she and Misaki smirked. "Who knew you were so smart?"

"Sakura," Misaki started, shaking her head, as she hooked her arm through Daitaro's. "We're going to go sit down before you and my husband decide to kill each other now."

"Anything to get away from the evil queen." Daitaro said, glaring at Sakura.

Sakura smiled back at him, as she gave a wave of her fingers. "Goodbye now."

When they walked away, Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Sakura's happy look. "You're so mean sometimes."

"Oh it's all in good fun," Sakura said, meeting his eyes. "What you don't know is that when I came by to help them unpack some more boxes the day after we got back from the winery, Daitaro decided to play a prank on me. He threw a spider on me, and I plan on making his life hell until I can prank him back."

"You know, I don't think I ever want to be on the other end of one of your pranks." Shikamaru told her, but they had to pause their conversation to greet some more guests.

Once the guests walked away, Sakura grinned at him. "You don't. But just in case you need more reasons, I'll be playing a prank on a couple of my siblings whenever they show up," she said, laughing at the thought. "Sora and Kankuro deserve it though, so it's-"

"Fine, I know." Shikamaru said, shaking his head at Sakura's laughter. A smile stretching across his face.

 **A half hour later**

It was almost five thirty, and they were back in one of the white tents to take a short break from all the talking to people. They were about to officially start the serving food part to the party, and Shikamaru was responsible for officially greeting everyone to start the party.

Sakura had been observing him closely since they got back in this tent. He had his hands in his pockets, and had been shifting his weight back and forth for the past few minutes.

"My parents making me doing this is ridiculous. Yeah, I get it, this is eventually going to be my responsibility, but I mean I think they are just trying to scar me for the rest of my life by making me do it now. My first year actually participating completely-"

"You're nervous about speaking," Sakura interrupted, a big smile on her face as her eyes met his. "That's cute."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at that. He could tell by her expression she hadn't meant to say that last part out loud. But it had made him smile anyways.

Shrugging off her slight slip up, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "Speaking it public isn't everyone's cup of tea. I don't mind it, but that's because I talk a lot in any situation."

"That's the truth."

"Shut up," Sakura said, laughing along with him. "When you do mission briefs or when you lead big missions you always sound so professional and calm. Just treat this like that."

Shikamaru was quiet for a long moment, then a smirk grew on his face. "You really noticed that?"

"Yeah, I mean I know you probably think that I don't pay attention during those-" Sakura paused, as she had to laugh at his raised eyebrow. "Okay, so I don't usually pay attention, but only to the extent that it's going to in some way get on Tsunade's nerves… I don't know. I guess ever since we were younger, and you started leading missions more, I guess I just noticed it. I mean if you got my attention, that means you're clearly doing something right."

Hearing that grew a smile on Shikamaru's face. "I guess so."

"You'll be fine," Sakura said, stepping forward to close the distance between them, then she kissed him. Because of her heels, she didn't have to lift up on her toes this time. When she broke the kiss, she smiled at him, as she brought a hand to his face. "I got a little bit of lipstick on you."

"There are worse things." Shikamaru joked making them both laugh lightly. Then they fell into a comfortable silence as he watched her while she wiped the lipstick off his face.

When the opening to the tent was opened, they both stepped quickly away from each other. It was his parents. His mom looking rather irritated, as she looked at them. "There you two are. Let's go, we don't have all day."

Smoothing her skirt down, Sakura smiled at his parents. "Sorry. Shikamaru was just being a baby about having to go speak."

"Wow," Shikamaru started sarcastically, a smirk on his face in her direction. "What happened to you being nice just a minute ago?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Was Sakura's reply, as she started to leave the tent, but she turned her head to flash him a smile that her parents couldn't see.

 **A couple hours later**

They had pretty much finished serving all the courses for dinner that night, and now the party had turned more towards enjoying dessert and conversing about politics. Shikamaru had been eying Sakura for a little while now. It was intriguing to watch how everyone at their table was focusing in on her. Their table full of the highest ranked people across the nation. It was like she always knew what exactly to say. She had more or less been the center of attention, but it appeared to be working in the favor of the Leaf's higher officials and their proposals for business related deals.

His next thoughts went to Sakura back at his family's brunch. How she took her shoes off, pulled her hair down, and just took off running in her brunch dress. She was such a carefree person, but it was like a switch flipped when it came to talking business.

It wasn't until the conversations were slowly being wrapped up that his mother had tapped on his shoulder, as she and his dad had been standing up. She motioned in his and Sakura's direction for them to come on. Looking over, he noticed Sakura was not paying attention in the slightest, and reached over to rest his hand on hers. "Come on."

That got Sakura's attention, as she looked to see him and his parents standing up. "I have to go to?" She questioned him, and when he nodded she sighed as she moved to stand up. "I'd rather stay here and not move for the rest of my life after how much food I ate." While she hadn't intended to say that loudly, that had made the rest of the people at the table laugh. Smoothing down her skirt with her free hand, she found herself being pulled to follow Shikamaru and his parents, as he held her other hand.

When they were at the front, Shikamaru's parents took care of thanking everyone for coming, and reminding them the festival start times for the next few days then the ball at the end. As well as telling them that while in the village they should visit the wide variety of restaurants as well.

It wasn't until they finished up, that they moved to the exit to individually tell people thank you for coming and good evening. Shikamaru's eyes went to Sakura, as they walked. "Thank god we're done."

Sakura put a hand up to her mouth to try to muffle the sound of her laughter. "I'm proud of you for lasting the entire time."

"I wanted to escape the second we arrived, so I'm proud of me too." Shikamaru said, laughing along with Sakura, as they reached the exit.

They began to say their goodbyes to guests as they left. It wasn't until their friends came up that they got a little distracted.

Ino was all smiles as she watched the two of them. "So what was with the hand holding when Shikamaru's parents were speaking?"

That had clearly taken both Sakura and Shikamaru off guard, but Hinata cut in before they could say anything. "So what? I hold Sakura's hand all the time, and that doesn't mean anything."

 _Thank you Hinata._ Sakura thought, but on the outside, she put a smirk on the face. "Why not Hinata? I would be an amazing girlfriend."

"Yeah," Hinata started, rolling her eyes, as she crossed her arms. "Being an extremely loud, psychopath, alcoholic, with lots of problems is a real turn on."

Sakura only smiled back at Hinata. "I'm not even an alcoholic though."

At Sakura not denying the other things, everyone cracked up laughing. Hinata shook her head, but smirked as she walked to leave. "Goodnight."

As the rest of their friends left, Shikamaru's eyes went to Sakura. "Hinata knows doesn't she?"

Letting her eyes meet his, Sakura shrugged. "Is there really anything to know though?"

"You're answering my question with a question, that's never a good sign," Shikamaru replied, but he chuckled. "Either way, I appreciate it. Ino wouldn't have ever let us holding hands go."

"You know what we need to do?" Sakura asked after they had said goodbye to a few more guests. "We need to hold hands everytime we see Ino for the rest of the week. Then deny it every time she says something. It'll get on her nerves."

"You mean that we need to cause problems?" Shikamaru asked, chuckling at her nod. "That sounds like a great idea, until you think about how Ino won't just stop with us denying everything. When she thinks she knows something, she'll get to the bottom of it."

Sakura sighed after they had said goodbye to more guests. "That's the truth. I guess I'll have to find other ways to cause problems."

"And I'll have to find ways to convince the police not to arrest you." Shikamaru shot back, making them both crack up laughing.

 **A couple hours later**

After saying goodbye to all the guests they began the cleaning up process. When they got all the stuff that needed to be done tonight taken care of, Shikamaru's parents sent them back to the house.

As soon as they were on the porch, Sakura had stopped and rested a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder so she could take off her shoes. "My feet are killing me."

"You couldn't tell," Shikamaru told her, as he looked inside. Both Shadow and Tank had jumped up and were crowding the door and barking at the sight of Sakura. When he opened the door, they went right to Sakura who just barely had time to set her shoes down to pet them. "You have an excellent poker face."

"Why thank you." Sakura said, smiling as that made Shikamaru laugh. After giving Shadow and Tank plenty of love, she ushered them off the porch to go to the bathroom, then grabbed her shoes and went inside. Her eyes going to Shikamaru who was in the kitchen, and in the process of making themselves some ice cream. Accepting a bowl from him, she smiled after she took a bite. She had requested they get some when they got home after the two-hour long clean up they had.

When Shikamaru finished filling up his bowl, he sat on the bar stool next to her. "Tonight actually wasn't the worst thing in the world."

"I know," Sakura said, smiling as she glanced over at him. "I think I even saw you smile once or twice."

"Ha ha," Shikamaru said, shaking his head at her laughter. "You seemed to really enjoy it. It was like you were the center of attention throughout dinner."

"Well, I try," Sakura replied, taking another bite of ice cream. "I've been conditioned to that kind of environment. With all the business trips I've been on with either my parents and Tsunade, I've had the practice… And besides, I'm really good at being the center of attention."

That had them both laughing, so they didn't notice when his parents came in along with Shadow and Tank. "Shikamaru!"

Hearing his mom's exclamation, Shikamaru looked over. "What did I do now?"

While that made his dad smirk, but his mom just shook her head. "It's past ten, and you've already had a lot of dessert tonight."

"Mom, I'm nineteen years old. You don't have treat me like a little kid." Shikamaru complained.

"Well no matter what age you are. You are still my baby." Yoshino replied, her hand propped on her hips.

Cringing at the sight of his mom doing that, Shikamaru just turned back forward. "I need to start making my own decisions eventually mom."

"Actually," Sakura started before Yoshino could speak. "I'm going to have to take the blame on this one. I can't help myself when it comes to ice cream."

Yoshino smiled at Sakura then. "And that's completely fine dear."

"Seriously?" Shikamaru questioned, as he looked to his mom. "Why did I get scolded?"

Shikaku clapped a hand on his sons shoulder. "I'd just take it as it is, and not question it."

Yoshino's focus moved on Sakura after picking up Baby who was rubbing against her legs. "Sakura thank you so much for being there today, and being so helpful these past couple months."

Sakura swallowed the bit of ice cream she had in her mouth, then smiled. "It's no problem at all. It was actually a lot of fun today, and then the past couple months have been a blast. Besides, we still have the next six days to get through. You can't get rid of me just yet."

Yoshino laughed and shook her head. "Oh trust me, I have no intentions of getting rid of you at all. With how helpful you've been, I'm thinking about having you stick around to keep me company sometimes. I've enjoyed having the female companionship lately. It gets a little old being stuck with two guys for so long."

"Hey!" Shikaku and Shikamaru chorused. Sakura and Yoshino just laughed it off. Even the guys joined in after a moment.

It wasn't until another hour that Shikamaru's parents had gone to bed, and Sakura had got off the bar stool to rinse off their dishes to put in the dishwasher. "Yeah, I guess it's time to go to bed. It's almost midnight, and I want nothing more than to get out of this dress."

"Yeah I can tell how distressed you've been being away from your leggings all day," Shikamaru said, smirking as that made her laugh. Getting up from the bar stool, he joined her in walking to the hall their bedrooms were off of. "Throughout the day, I was thinking about how interesting it is. Seeing you so professional and business-like. Then looking back to a few weeks ago at the brunch, and your spontaneous idea for a run. That's two completely different people there."

They both stopped at her bedroom door. Shadow and Tank ran into the room, and jumped on her bed. Flopping down, and ready to go to sleep. Sakura remained at the doorway with Shikamaru, as she smiled at him. "Well believe it or not, but I do know when to be professional, and when I can have fun."

"I believe it." Shikamaru replied, smirking at her, as he leaned on the other side of the door frame than her.

"It was a lot of fun though," Sakura said after a moment. "I'm looking forward to the festival starting tomorrow."

"Don't forget that tomorrow morning we still have a lot of clean up to do where we had the party," Shikamaru said, crossing his arms over his chest. "That way it'll be ready for us to transition it to what it'll look like for the ball."

"I'm already looking forward to it," Sakura spoke with a bit a sarcasm in her tone. "Six a.m. here we come."

That had them both laughing. When their laughter settled, he watched her for a long moment in silence. Closing the distance between them, he kissed her. When they broke the kiss after a moment, he smiled as they remained close. "Guess I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

"Goodnight Shikamaru." Sakura replied, kissing him once more, and smiling as she watched him turn to walk to his room. Going into her own room, she closed the door behind her and leaned back against it. Smiling as she felt that fluttering feeling inside of her. _I don't know what exactly is happening here, but I want to kiss him like that every night..._

 **A/N: I think someone is beginning to catch all the feels now. What do you think is going to happen during the festival days? Do you think they are really going to be able to keep this situation on the down low from their friends and family? My favorite scene to write was the scene when they were in the tent. What was your favorite scene?**

 **ALSO, there are only two chapters left in this story! BUT don't worry! There is a sequel in the works, and that will be coming out later this year!**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	19. This Is Fun

_Review:_

" _Goodnight Shikamaru." Sakura replied, kissing him once more, and smiling as she watched him turn to walk to his room. Going into her own room, she closed the door behind her, and leaned back against it. Smiling as she felt that fluttering feeling inside of her. I don't know what exactly is happening here, but I want to kiss him like that every night..._

* * *

 **The next day, June 30th**

A thud sound hitting Sakura's ears is what woke her up. Opening her eyes, they slid over to the clock. It was just past six in the morning. Groaning lowly, she closed her eyes, and let her head fall back against the pillow. She ended up falling asleep around one, and getting only five hours of sleep wasn't feeling too good.

"Sleeping well?"

Sakura's eyes snapped open, and she looked to her other side to find Shikamaru. He was standing by her open window, which she assumed that was where the thud sound came from. She watched in silence as he walked closer to the bed to pet Tank who had stood up at the sight of him. "You can't just appear like that."

"It's not like I sneaked in here. You were just out of it," Shikamaru replied, smirking as Shadow had crawled over Sakura to receive some attention as well. "That was lazy."

"Coming from the laziest guy in the village." Sakura said, laughing at Shikamaru's eye roll. Pushing herself to sit up, she stretched her arms up above her head and yawned.

"You know," Shikamaru started, a smirk appearing back on his face. "You're hair is all over the place."

Reaching up to feel her messy hair, Sakura shrugged after a moment, and dropped her hand lazily. "Yeah."

Chuckling at her clearly not caring, Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, you need to wake up. We have a lot of festival fun to get to. It's water theme. So if there are any pools, I'm going to push you in."

"Not if I push you in first."

"I don't think so." Shikamaru replied, leaning closer to her, and poking her side. His eyebrow raised at her spazzing out, and a squeak sound came from her.

"Don't-" Sakura was interrupted when Shikamaru poked her again. Soon enough, it became a small battle of Sakura trying to get away from him, and him poking her side whenever he could reach.

Taking pause after a few minutes, Shikamaru and Sakura were both laughing. Shikamaru was sitting in the center of her bed now. Sakura was half-way hanging off the bed. Still feeling giggly even as she tried to calm her laughter, Sakura felt it was harder to catch her breath. "I can't breathe-" Sakura laughed again, as she brought one hand to the floor to keep her from slipping off the bed. "I can't breathe."

"Here," Shikamaru said, reaching his hand over to her, then he pulled her to sit up. Smirking as their eyes met. "Can you breathe now?"

"Yep." Sakura said, her laughter slowing to silence, as she became increasingly aware of how close they were. Leaning the rest of the way to him, she kissed him.

Shikamaru didn't hesitate in kissing her back, as he brought his hands to her waist. After a couple minutes, they broke apart to catch their breath. He smirked after a moment. "Still don't want to talk about this?"

Sakura hummed for a moment, then a smile moved onto her face. "We'll get there," she started, adjusting so they were closer, as she slid her arms over his shoulders. "Just not right this second."

"Right," Shikamaru said, an eyebrow raised at how she adjusted when she got closer. "You realize you're not wearing any pants..."

"You just now noticed?" Sakura countered, a mischievous look in her eye.

"Oh I noticed right after you first moved away from me when I did this." Shikamaru said, poking her side, and smirking at her laughter.

Re-adjusting after she had moved when he poked her, Sakura kept her smile on her face, as she got back closer to him. "It doesn't bother me," she said, then she started soft butterfly kisses on his jawline and down his neck. "Does it bother you?"

Getting distracted by what she was doing, Shikamaru hummed after a moment. "Not at all."

This went on for a few minutes until a sound was heard from the hall.

"Where is Shikamaru? He's supposed to be ready."

The voice of Shikamaru's mom had broken the two apart, as they stared at Sakura's closed bedroom door. They could faintly hear Shikamaru's dad saying something along the lines of that he was probably just out doing something.

When the sound of footsteps in the hall was gone, Sakura's eyes went back to Shikamaru, as she smirked. "You're avoiding work by being in here?"

"Of course I am," Shikamaru said right away. "Why do you think I came in through your window? My mom might not care about walking into my room to wake me up, but she won't do it to you."

Sakura laughed and she shook her head. "And here I thought it was just so you could scare me."

"That was just a bonus," Shikamaru replied, laughing along with her. When their laughter died down, he brought his hand up to her face. "Five more minutes?"

"I guess I can enable you just this once," Sakura said, smiling as she brought her hand up to take his hand that was on her face. "But you're taking full responsibility when your mom asks where you were."

"Got it. Easy." Shikamaru replied, then he kissed her. Moving his hand back to the other side of her waist to pull her even closer.

 **A few hours later**

Laughing as water dripped down her, Sakura reached in one of the many buckets, and pulled out a water balloon. Turning around, she eyed her target, then she threw the balloon. She laughed when it hit her desired target head on, and she turned quickly to make an escape. "Bullseye!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Shikamaru's voice was heard, right before his arms wrapped around Sakura's waist to keep her from running away. At her laughter, he smirked. "You brat."

"You have to join the fun sometime." Sakura was all Sakura said, as she turned around to face him. Laughing at the sight of water dripping down his upper body.

Smirking at her laughter, Shikamaru shook his head. The chaos around them was from one of the many events being held during the day for the festival. Everyone around their age was participating in this huge water balloon fight. He had done a good job of avoiding the water until now. "I am having fun."

"Really? I don't-" Sakura gasped when water poured over her head.

It was Shikamaru's turn to laugh, as while he had her distracted he had broken a water balloon over her head. "This is fun."

Shaking her hair out a bit, Sakura pushed back on his chest a bit to create space between them. "You just started a war."

Shikamaru grinned back at her. "Bring it on"

 **An hour and a half later**

"Finally!"

"Finally what?" Sakura questioned, her eyes going to her right to focus on her blonde haired teammate. They were currently walking down a less busy street of the festival. Her clothes were still a little damp, and her hair was a mess. They had just finished up the water balloon fight twenty minutes ago. Everyone was getting so into the water balloon fight that some started using water jutsu. The whole war was quickly put to an end after the Hokage ended up getting soaked.

"Finally you're hanging out with us!" Naruto exclaimed, a grin on his face as he looked to Sakura. Having had to push some of his hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah," Sai started, having been walking on the other side of Sakura. "It'll be nice to actually have you training with us again."

"And on missions!" Naruto added quickly.

Sakura smiled at the sound of her teammates admitting they missed her. "Well, at least you both have had time to prepare for the chunin exams."

"I guess," Sai said, then he sighed heavily. "It's going to be a pain I can already tell."

"Hey it's my second time, so I can tell you all the secrets before hand." Naruto offered, a big grin on his face.

Sai raised an eyebrow, as he crossed his arms. "I don't think that will be all that necessary. Just because I skipped the chunin and jounin exams to become part of anbu doesn't mean I can't handle them-"

"You do realize that the chunin exams are going to be nothing like that first time right Naruto?" Sakura interrupted, a smirk on her face. "When I took them the second time it was completely different, and it was also in a different country."

Naruto's smile dropped off his face. "That's not fair."

"If you're actually prepared for the chunin exams, then it shouldn't matter where it is or what you are doing-"

"This is terrible," Naruto interrupted Sakura, slapping his hands to his face. "I'm going to fail again."

"You better not, because that means I'll be failing too," Sai told him, then his focus went back to Sakura. "Well since you'll be coming back to training, maybe you could help us out a little. We should be ready by August then."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, as her eyes went from Naruto then to Sai. "It is in August? You guys better not miss my birthday."

"Don't worry," Naruto said, holding his arms back behind his head, as he grinned. "We already planned for you two-week long birthday extravaganza."

Laughing as they turned down another road, Sakura shook her head at them. "It's not really two weeks- Oh! Do you guys want to get some Ichiraku?"

As they all stopped walking, Sai's eyes went first to Sakura. "I thought you wanted to dedicate this week to trying all the festival foods?"

"Oh don't worry, I have already tried a lot with Shikamaru, and I'll be sure to try plenty later today," Sakura replied with a wave of her hand. "I figured that I might actually want some sort of base meal if I want to survive the whole day."

"You guys know I'm down." Naruto added after Sakura stopped speaking.

Sai turned to start back walking. "Let's go then."

 **That evening**

Finishing filling up her glass, Sakura laughed when a little spilled out. "Whoops."

"Oh it's fine," Yoshino said, smiling at the younger woman. "We'll clean it up in a little while. I'm sure this won't be all the mess we make."

"True," Sakura replied, laughing as she picked up her glass and clinked it with Yoshino's. They were both enjoying some margarita's that Sakura made. "Like I was saying, today was a blast. I think I got soaked at least three times today."

"I heard there was a lot of that going on," Yoshino replied, a smile returning to her face. "The massive water balloon fight was the biggest event of the day I think."

Thinking back to the water balloon fight had Sakura smiling. "Yeah, it was pretty fun. Shikamaru completely surprised me by breaking a water balloon over my head. He was very sneaky about it."

"He probably learned that from you after how much time you two have spent together." Yoshino teased, laughing lightly, as she sipped her margarita.

The thought had Sakura laughing too. "I guess so."

"So," Yoshino started after a moment of silence. "Can I ask what is going on there?"

Knowing exactly what Yoshino was talking about, Sakura was quiet for a moment, then she smiled. "To be honest, I really don't know what to say about it."

"So there is something?" Yoshino asked, an eyebrow raised.

Shrugging her shoulders, Sakura sipped her margarita again. "Maybe."

Hearing that made Yoshino go into a fit of giggles. "I knew it," she said through her giggling. "You're definitely a brave soul for having an interest in my son." Her words had both herself and Sakura dying laughing. It took a moment before she could speak again. "That didn't come out right."

"What are you two laughing at?" Shikamaru's voice was heard from where he and his dad had just walked in from the front yard. Having stayed out a bit later to oversee somethings for the closing of the festival for the night.

Neither Sakura or Yoshino replied, as they just started laughing all over again.

Shikaku noticed what both Sakura and his wife were drinking, and he smirked. "They've been drinking again."

"That explains it." Shikamaru said, reaching down to pet Tank who had trotted over to greet them when they walked in.

Smiling in Shikamaru's direction when he finally started walking over to her, Sakura motioned to her glass. "Want one?"

Shikamaru was quiet, as he stopped next to her. "Why not?"

"Shikaku?" Sakura questioned, when he nodded, she got to work making more.

"You should be a bartender." Shikamaru told her, after watching her for a moment.

Sakura paused to look at him, as she grinned. "I'd probably drink everything I make."

Laughing back at her, Shikamaru shook his head. "That's exactly what I was about to say."

 **An hour later**

"This is probably my fourth one," Sakura was saying, her eyes on her glass. "Or maybe it's my fifth-sixth one."

Raising an eyebrow at her words, Shikamaru smirked at her. "It's probably your tenth one, and you just can't remember."

"You're probably right… But it's fine." Sakura replied, drinking down the last of her margarita before she started laughing. Hearing Shikamaru laughing as well, Sakura smiled. Setting her glass down, she turned to face him, then she kissed him.

When the spur of the moment kiss ended, Shikamaru's eyebrow was raised, as he smirked down at Sakura. "What was that for?"

"I've been wanting to do that all day," Sakura replied, then she shrugged. "With all of our friends around all day, then me going off with my team for a bit, it wasn't all that possible."

Shikamaru was quiet as he watched her, then he reached up to push her hair back. "You don't really need an excuse."

"I know." Was all Sakura said, then they kissed again.

"Well, this is interesting." The voice of Shikaku broke apart their kiss a minute later. He was standing by the end of the kitchen counters that was closest to the hall his and Yoshino's bedroom was off of. "You two aren't as slick as you think you are."

Shikamaru sighed at his dad's words. "Dad-"

"Don't worry," Shikaku interrupted his son, grabbing the apple he came out her for. Chuckling as he turned around to go back to his bedroom. "I didn't see anything."

It was dead silent after Shikaku left, as Shikamaru finally met Sakura's eyes again. Staring at her for a long moment, they both broke out laughing.

 **The next day, 1st of July**

"I can see everything from up here!"

"Sachi keep one hand down, I don't want you to fall." Sakura said to her goddaughter, who was currently on Shikamaru's shoulders. As she had requested for a higher spot so she could see everything, as her tiny self couldn't see over the crowd of people around them.

"I'm not going to let her fall Sakura," Shikamaru told her, as they made their way through the crowd. "Sachi, be on the look out for where we are going next."

"Got it!" Sachi exclaimed as she looked around. Her golden braids bouncing around as she did.

It wasn't until they reached a stall for a game that Sachi had requested to play, that Sakura turned her head to look at Shikamaru. "It was really nice of your mom to offer to stay with Hiro."

"To be honest, I think she just wanted an excuse to stay home and relax," Shikamaru said, a smirk on his face. "You both did have a lot to drink last night, and according to her she can't bounce back as quickly as you can."

"I do still have a headache, but it's fine." Sakura replied, as her eyes went to Sachi playing the game. She had offered to watch Sachi and Hiro for part of the day so Misaki and Daitaro could go out and enjoy the festival just the two of them. They had dropped them off earlier that morning, and she and Shikamaru decided to bring Sachi out to play some games.

Sachi's giggling was heard, catching their attention. She won a little prize from the game, and she reached out and took Shikamaru's hand as her eyes met his. "What should I get?"

"Let's see," Shikamaru started, leaning over a bit so he was closer to her height level. He looked at her. "What's your favorite color?"

"Purple." Sachi replied, her eyes still focused on Shikamaru.

Shikamaru hummed for a moment, as he looked around then he pointed over to a bright purple pair of heart shaped sunglasses. "How about those?"

The second Sachi's eyes landed on the sunglasses, they lit up, and she started jumping up and down. "Those are so pretty!" She exclaimed happily. She put them on as soon as the person who was running the game handed them to her. Giggling as soon as she put them, then she turned to face Sakura. "Yay! Look, look, look!"

"Wow, those are cool," Sakura said, smiling big at the sight of how happy Sachi was. "Sachi love, do you want to go fly some kites?"

Sachi nodded quickly. "Yeah, let's go do that!"

Shikamaru reached down, and with little effort had Sachi back up on his shoulders. His eyes following the sky as they walked. There were several kites up in the sky. Since the theme of the day was air, that was one of the activities Sakura was adamant on being made available to all the people to do. "It certainly is a nice day for this."

"I know," Sakura agreed, as they turned down a less busy street. "It's funny how perfect that worked out."

"You know," Shikamaru started after another moment of listening to Sachi excitedly talking about the type of kite she wanted to fly. "After we get Sachi's magically amazing kite, we should take her to my top secret spot to fly it."

Hearing that had Sachi's attention. "It's a secret spot?!"

Shikamaru laughed at how loud Sachi had said that. "Yeah, but you can't tell anyone about it. It's super secret. Can you do that?"

Sachi nodded her head quickly. "I'm the best at secret keeping."

"I've taught you well," Sakura grinned, then she looked to Shikamaru. "I love how she's getting an invite, and I am practically a trespasser whenever I'm at your spot."

Shikamaru smirked back at Sakura. "Do you want an invite?"

"Of course I do," Sakura replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "I expect it to be super fancy, and covered in glitter."

"Should I put the sour gummy worms in a pretty gift bag too?"

"It's like you know me or something." Was Sakura's reply, then they both laughed.

"Oh look at that one!" Sachi's exclamation had interrupted their laughter to bring their attention to a kite that was shaped like a butterfly. "I change my mind, I want one that looks like that."

"I think that can be arranged." Shikamaru said after sharing a look with Sakura who was all smiling.

 **A couple hours later**

"I got Sachi down for her nap, and that means I get to spend some time with my Hiro." Sakura said, as soon as she walked back into the living room. Picking Hiro up out of his carrier, she was all smiles, as she sat down on the couch with him. Both Shadow and Tank hurried over to lay down on the floor by the couch.

"So," Shikamaru started, from where he was laying back on the L-shaped couch across from her. His eyes on her, more specifically her wrist. "That tattoo. I noticed the same one on Misaki when she was dropping Sachi and Hiro off earlier."

Sakura's eyes moved away from Hiro to the tattoo on her wrist. "Yeah, we got it together with-"

When Sakura stopped like she did, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "With?"

Taking a deep breath, Sakura's eyes met Shikamaru's. "I was seven when I first met Misaki. She was ten- no she was still nine. It was a couple months before her birthday. Anyway, we met on the playground outside the academy. There was this boy, his name was Yuudai, and he actually was the one who brought us together in the first place. We ended up playing on the playground for hours together. After that day, we were inseparable. Of course, as we started to get older, we each started on our genin teams, and we couldn't spend as much time together. Misaki was two years ahead of me, and Yuudai was one year ahead of you and I."

"So you all got the tattoo together?" Shikamaru guessed.

"Yeah," Sakura replied, her smile softening at the next thought. "We got it the day before Yuudai was to leave to start training for the anbu red unit."

"That's the unit Sora is in now right?" Shikamaru questioned, watching her nod.

Sakura was quiet for a long moment, then she took a breath. "A year after Yuudai joined, the day before his sixteenth birthday, he went on a mission that he never came back from. It'll be three years at the end of July," she paused, as she had to readjust Hiro. "I don't usually talk about it that much anymore."

"I apologize for bringing it up-"

"No, don't apologize," Sakura interrupted him, her eyes going to the tattoo, then to him. "It's nice to be reminded of him every once in a while. There are lot more good memories than there are bad."

It was quiet in the room for a long moment, as Shikamaru watched Sakura. She smiled as she looked at the tattoo again, but he could tell by the look in her eyes that there was sadness. _I guess there is still a lot about her that I don't know._

 **Later that night**

A slight wind moved past Sakura, and it felt nice and cool against the hot night air. Something Konoha was known for was some of the hot nights around the middle of the year. Misaki and Daitaro had picked up Sachi and Hiro a few hours ago, then some of Shikamaru's extended family had come over for late dinner and to hang out. She got to meet some of the family on Yoshino's side too. It wasn't until nearly eleven thirty that the last of the family had left. They had just finished cleaning up, and it was now past midnight. She was letting the dogs out one last time before going to bed.

"Boys quit that barking!" Sakura called over, her eyes picking Shadow and Tank out of the dark yard. Both dogs were clearly playing out the last bit of their energy. She had her elbows resting on the railing, and was admiring the stars.

"You know, they really do mirror your behavior." Shikamaru's voice hit Sakura's ears.

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Shikamaru leaning against the open door frame, his arms crossed, and eyes on her. "Are you trying to tell me I behave like dog?"

Smirking, Shikamaru crossed the porch so he could stand beside her. "Ha ha. They mirror your seemingly never-ending energy. Amongst a few other things."

"Thanks… I think," Sakura replied, then they both laughed. Looking back up at the sky, her eyes studied the stars. The sound of the katydid bugs hit her ears, and the occasional lightning bug popped up. "I had fun today. I got to meet your other cousins, and the other half of your family tree."

"Well don't worry. You're pretty much good on my family tree. I don't have any twists and surprises like a certain someone I know." Shikamaru replied, winking at her.

Smiling, Sakura moved up on her tiptoes, then she kissed him. "That's perfectly normal. You should be happy you don't have to deal with a twisty family tree."

"And yet that still doesn't lose my interest in figuring out every twist on your family tree." Shikamaru replied, smiling as he kissed her this time.

When their kiss broke, Sakura accepted his arms wrapping around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. _The first few days of the festival have been fun. After the stress that I went through over the past two months with the attacks, then the stress from actually planning the party, this has turned out amazing._

* * *

 **A/N: The first two days of the festival have gone by pretty smoothly. There has been a lot of interesting experiences. One being the fact that Shikaku caught Sakura and Shikamaru kissing in the kitchen. I also want everyone to take note of the character I mentioned, Yuudai. If I were you, I would keep that character in the back of your mind, because you never know when it'll be brought up again. :) I think my favorite scene to write was the morning scene between Sakura and Shikamaru when Shikamaru was hiding out in her room. What was yours? Oh and the next chapter is the last chapter of this story, but don't worry! A sequel is in the works!**

 **Don't forget to review, favorite, and share this story with others. Also be sure to check out my other stories.**

 **Be sure to like my page (Ruby1235 Fanfiction) on Facebook and follow me on twitter ( Ruby1235Fanfic) for updates, sneak peeks, and hints for current and new stories :)**

 **Also be sure to check out my blog: ruby1235fanfiction. blogspot .com (no spaces)**


	20. It's Just The Two Of Us

_Review:_

" _And yet that still doesn't lose my interest in figuring out every twist on your family tree." Shikamaru replied, smiling as he kissed her this time._

 _When their kiss broke, Sakura accepted his arms wrapping around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. The first few days of the festival have been fun. After the stress that I went through over the past two months with the attacks, then the stress from actually planning the party, this has turned out amazing._

* * *

 **A couple days later, the 3rd of July**

The front door closed, then the first thing that was heard was Ino's voice. "You're family kills me."

"I know," Sakura agreed from where she was sitting on the couch, as her head was leaning back against the cushions. "I just want to die every time we're all in the same room together."

Rolling her eyes at Sakura's sarcastic tone, Ino shook her head. "I know you mean that literally, but that is not what I meant."

"Glad we cleared that up." Sakura replied, with a lazy wave of her hand. _We spent nearly all day with my giant family… It was actually pretty nice to have everyone together._

"You know with your mother and Temari, I don't know how you ended up turning out to be so messed up." Ino said, a smirk on her face as she plopped down on the other couch that Sakura wasn't on.

"It is actually quite common to adapt behaviors from friends as well as family," Sakura replied, smirking at Ino. "Which means I probably learned it from, oh I don't know, you."

"You're hilarious," Ino replied sarcastically, as she reached over to grab her wine glass from the coffee table. "Or maybe you learned it from Hinata. You spent nearly all day yesterday with her, Tenten, and Neji."

"Well you could have come with us, but you had to spend it with your family." Sakura shot back with a grin on her face.

"I'm not sorry that I wanted to spend time with my aunt Mai, and my cousin Misa," Ino replied, shrugging her shoulders. "She's four, and probably the cutest human on the planet."

"Misa is pretty adorable," Sakura replied, as she finished off the wine in her glass. "We need to get her together with Sachi. Those two could move mountains just by their cuteness."

Ino laughed. "Probably."

Shikamaru appeared in the living room and eyed Ino. "Are you sticking around?"

"Yes, she is," Sakura said before Ino could speak up. "She's spending the night."

"Great, so that means I'm going to leave before I get pulled into girl talk." Shikamaru said, moving over to stand behind the part of the L-shaped couch Sakura was on.

Sakura moved her head back so she could look up at Shikamaru. "Don't leave me."

Shikamaru smiled at her pout. "You'll be fine."

Sakura shook her head, as she kept her pout on her face. "I might need you to help me escape."

"Thanks, Sakura," Ino said, with an eye roll. "You were the one who invited me to stay over."

"Yeah, but I mean I just need a backup plan," Sakura told Ino, then her eyes went to Shikamaru. "Send help in an hour."

"We'll see," Shikamaru replied, smirking at Sakura's raised eyebrow. "I'm going to go see what Choji is up to. If you are really in that much distress, you should probably reevaluate your life choices."

"Thanks for the help," Sakura shot back, laughing as he had actually stuck his tongue out at her. "Goodbye!"

Ino raised an eyebrow in Sakura's direction after Shikamaru left. "What was that?"

Sakura had turned back to pour some more wine into her glass, her eyes going to Ino, then back to her glass. "What was what?"

"Were you flirting with him?" Ino asked bluntly.

Nearly choking on the wine in her mouth, Sakura coughed a bit. "Flirting? No… Definitely not."

Ino watched Sakura for a long moment, scoffed, then sipped her wine. "Right… Well while you _weren't_ flirting with him, he definitely was with you."

Staring at Ino for a long moment in silence, Sakura tried to recover, as she focused back down on her wine glass. "I have no idea what you're talking about. That was just friendly conversation. I know it must be hard that I'm being nice to your teammate unlike you."

"I'm nice to my teammates," Ino replied, then she rolled her eyes. "If anything, you're the not nice one. You and your teammates fight all the time."

"We don't fight, so much as try to make each other so pissed off to the point of it causing arguments and fights," Sakura replied, making them both laugh. She released a breath after a moment. Happy that the subject was changed away from Shikamaru and her. "So-"

"How's it been living here?" Ino interrupted, eying the place around them. "I mean I've been here a lot over they years after being on the same team as Shikamaru, but I mean you've been here for like what? Two months straight?"

"Basically, apart from the occasional weekends off here and there," Sakura replied, then she took a long drink of her wine. "Of course those weekends off usually involved me either getting attacked or other not pleasant experiences-"

"What about this past weekend at the winery?" Ino interrupted, an eyebrow raised. "That doesn't sound like a place for disaster. Well unless you're with Hinata, in which case you'd both be drunk of your ass the entire time, and that spells disaster."

Sakura smirked back at Ino. "You're not wrong."

"I'm just saying, that was probably nice and relaxing," Ino said, shrugging her shoulders, as she brought her wine glass to her mouth. "I mean you were probably spending a lot of one-on-on time with Shikamaru..."

"Are we back to that again?" Sakura asked, moving to rest one of her hands on Tank who had jumped up on the couch to lay down beside her. "I already said-"

"I heard you," Ino interrupted her, then she shook her head. "I just think that you're lying."

Sakura stared at Ino for a long moment. "Don't push it."

"You're not denying it," Ino replied right away, although she sighed, as she held up a hand. "Okay, I'll stop for now. Let's talk about how pretty Misaki and Daitaro's new house is instead."

 **The next day, July 4th**

"Sakura."

Humming, Sakura grabbed a pillow and put it over her face. However, when she found herself being poked in the side. Causing her whole body to jerk away from the person. "Quit!"

"Then get your dog off of me!"

Looking out from under the pillow, Sakura laughed at the sight. Tank was stretched on top of Ino. His face inches from hers, and was trying to lick her. "He just wants to love you."

"He's suffocating me." Ino replied, although she laughed as she pet Tank.

Sakura smiled as Shadow had begun to worm his way on top of her, she wrapped her arms around him. "They just like to be loved on in the morning."

"You spoil them."

"I'm not denying that," Sakura said, then after a moment, she pushed lightly on Shadow's chest. "Alright, boys let's get up."

At her command, both Shadow and Tank were up and off the bed. Ino grunting as Tank pushed off her stomach. "Thanks for the warning," she said, moving to sit up. Her blonde hair falling all over the place, but her head throbbing distracted her. "Ah."

"What?" Sakura countered, sitting up as she grabbed some pants, then Baby from the pillows.

"My head," Ino replied, as she moved more unsteadily to stand up. Her eyes went to see Sakura fine as can be. "How is that even possible? I'm pretty sure you drank way more wine than I did last night, and you don't have a hangover?"

"Well my alcohol tolerance has gotten a bit higher than yours," Sakura replied, as she moved to the door to let the dogs run out into the hall. "But don't worry. When I usually drink out of control, I get a hell of a hangover."

"I hate you right now." Ino mumbled before following Sakura out of the room.

The two walked down the hall, and into the living room. Sakura's eyes were the first Shikamaru's parents and she greeted them.

"Good morning." Shikaku greeted in return.

Meanwhile, Yoshino had a smile on her face in Sakura and Ino's directions. "Did you two have fun last night?"

"No." Ino said at the same time as Sakura said, "Yes!"

While that made Yoshino and Shikaku laugh, Sakura smirked as she looked to Ino then to Yoshino. "Ino's just unhappy about her slight hangover this morning."

"Yeah well while you're skipping around all unaffected, that's kind of annoying," Ino shot back, as she rubbed her temples. "It's like you are torturing me."

"Good I'm doing my job right then," Sakura shot back, laughing with the others, as she opened the front door to let the dogs out. Just in time to come face to face with Sai and Shikamaru who had been out on the front porch. As they walked in, her eyes went to Sai specifically. "Ew."

"Look, the troll can speak." Sai said, reaching to her messy bun on top of her head.

Quickly slapping his hand away, Sakura smirked at him grunting in slight pain.

"Your relationship with your teammates is completely functional." Shikamaru told her, smirking as she went over to start making coffee.

"Yeah and I'm sure everything on your team is just rainbows and sparkles," Sakura shot back, her eyes slipped over to Sai who had gone over to Ino. A smirk moved onto her face, as she looked down to focus on pouring creamer in her coffee. "So are you two going to admit that you like each other yet, and get into an actual relationship or what?"

Sakura's question clearly brought a blush to Ino's face, and Sai rubbed the back of his neck. Ino being the first to recover. "I have no idea what you're-"

"It's not like that." Sai interrupted Ino, as his eyes were on Sakura.

Sakura scoffed, as her smirk remained on her face. Stirring in her coffee creamer as she looked to them. "Right, well while you two are busy not-being-in-a-relationship, can you guys go not-like each other somewhere else? I think my eyes are going to start bleeding."

"I'm going to grab my bag," Ino said to Sai, then her eyes went to Sakura before she could walk back to the hall. "Bitch."

Sai smirked, as he looked to Sakura. "It's like you wake up in the morning and can't live without insulting someone."

"I think it's triggered by the sight of a moron," Sakura countered quickly, a smirk on her face. "I wonder who it was who sparked the insults."

Sai narrowed his eyes, and he frowned. "I hate you."

"Love you too," Sakura shot back with a flashy smile. Just as Ino came back, as she was pulling up her blonde hair. Sakura took a sip of her coffee. "Have fun. Make good choices. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Ino's eyes went to Sai. "So that basically leaves us free to do anything short of murder."

"Sounds good to me." Sai replied, smirking at Sakura's eye roll, then he and Ino left.

Sakura felt the eyes of the Nara's on her, and she just offered them a smile. "What can I say? I have a strange way of loving my friends."

"That's the truth." Shikamaru said, making everyone laugh.

When Shadow and Tank returned inside, Sakura moved back towards the hall her bedroom was off of. "I'm going to go grab a shower before breakfast," she said, pausing by the couch Shikamaru had sat down on. "Don't leave the house without me. We have to go on all the adventures today since it is the last day of the festival."

"I'm leaving right now." Shikamaru shot back sarcastically, grinning at her turning and starting to run back to the hall their bedrooms were off.

"No, no, no, no, no! I don't accept that!" She had exclaimed, the rest of her words drowned out by Shadow and Tank barking as they chased after her.

Shikamaru failed at trying to hold back his laughter, as he shook his head. "She is something else."

 **A half hour later**

Trying to comb out her hair after her shower was proving to be a process. Every thirty seconds or so she'd end up stopping to pay attention to her dogs, and was happy at the sight of their tails wagging. "My precious babies."

"No wonder why it takes you so long to get ready," Shikamaru's voice was heard from where he appeared in the doorway of her room. "You stop every few seconds to pet your animals. Speaking of animals, Baby is circling my mom like a shark. I think you need to take care of satan."

Sakura laughed, as she started back to combing her hair. "I'll get right on that."

It was quiet for a moment, then Shikamaru cleared his throat. "So, uh… Since it is the last day of all this- Well not the whole thing, just the festival part," he stopped talking, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could hang out today. Just the two of us..."

Sakura stopped combing her hair, and her eyes moved to him. It was quiet for a long moment. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Shikamaru's eyes met Sakura's. "Yeah I am."

With that confirmed, Sakura focused back on combing her hair. "Okay."

Having found himself slightly surprised she agreed so easily, Shikamaru remained standing in the doorway for a moment, then turned to leave. "Okay then."

 **A few hours later**

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

"It's not like it is permanent Shikamaru."

"Yeah, it just stays on for two to four weeks." Shikamaru replied, his eyes going down to his arm where he was currently getting a henna tattoo of a combination of a wolf, which Sakura had picked out for him. Sakura herself had already got her henna which was a tiger, and she was more than happy about it.

The person doing his henna just finished up. "Alright, you two need to be careful with these the next few hours to try to keep them from messing up."

"We will, thank you so much," Sakura replied, having already pulled out money for both of their henna's, and handed it over. She took Shikamaru's hand to get him started walking away. "Come on, we've got tons more things to do."

"I would have paid for our henna's." Shikamaru told her, his eyes going down to focus on how she still held his hand as they walked. Both their henna's showing on their arms.

"I know, but I wanted to," Sakura replied, smiling as she looked at him. "I figured it is only fair since it was my idea."

"Alright," Shikamaru chuckled, his eyes watching her face, as her eyes appeared to be focusing on a cotton candy stand. Smirking, he changed their direction so they'd walk over there. His eyes going back to her. "What flavor do you want?"

"Blue raspberry," Sakura replied, her eyes lit up, as she looked at him. "It's like you read my mind."

"I'm just very observant." Shikamaru replied, smirking as he handed over the money for the cotton candy, after the maker handed Sakura her finished cotton candy. "Thank you."

Sakura hummed after took a bite. Bringing her hand up to her mouth as she tasted the yummy goodness. Her eyes went to Shikamaru as they had moved over to one of the many picnic table areas to sit down for a moment. "This is so good, thank you."

"You're welcome," Shikamaru told her, smirking as he noticed her tongue was starting to turn blue. "You're tongue is blue."

That made Sakura laugh, as she finished her next piece. Pinching off another piece, she held it out to him. "Try some."

Having to hold back laughter at her actually feeding him the cotton candy, Shikamaru was met with the sugary candy that melted in his mouth. "That's pretty good. I'm sure the sugar is the highlight of your day."

"You have no idea," Sakura replied, laughing as she picked off another piece. "You're going to have to help me finish the rest of this for two reasons."

Reaching over, Shikamaru pinched off a piece. "And those would be?"

"Well for one, I have plans to try as much food as we can today since the festival is ending tonight. So I'm going to need room for all of that," Sakura replied, as she put the cotton candy in her mouth. "Then two, I don't want to be the only one walking around with a blue tongue."

Laughing at her second reason, Shikamaru shook his head at her, as he pinched off another piece and ate it. "How am I doing so far?"

At the sight of Shikamaru sticking out his tongue, Sakura laughed. "Perfect," she said, reaching in her bag to pull out her camera. "I'm documenting this moment. So I have proof that you actually have fun, and Ino won't have anything to complain about anymore."

"You know," Shikamaru said, watching her turn on her camera. "I wouldn't just get henna tattoos and eat cotton candy with just anyone."

"It's because I'm special," Sakura replied with a smile, as she moved the camera so she could take a picture of both of them. She checked out the picture once they were done. Shikamaru had one arm around her, and she had their cotton candy. "You know your mom talks about how you never smile in her pictures. But you've always smiled in mine that I've taken over the past few months."

"Like you said," Shikamaru started, grabbing another piece of cotton candy. "It's because you're special."

That had Sakura's smile widen after she put her camera back away. Holding the cotton candy away, she leaned over and kissed him. The sweet taste of blue raspberry grew.

 **Later that evening**

"How did I know this is where you were taking me?"

"Because this is the best place to watch fireworks," Shikamaru replied, a smirk on his face as he and Sakura sat down at the top of the hill. They were in his spot, and ready to end the night with fireworks.

Pulling out her camera, Sakura took a few shots of their view. "I don't think I've really been here when it is dark."

"Well," Shikamaru started, as he rested his hands back behind him on the grass. "That is probably because your visiting hours have only been during the day so far."

Laughing as she put her camera away, Sakura looked over to him. "By the way, where is my invitation covered in glitter, and my sour gummy worms?"

"Well I don't have the invitation," Shikamaru started, as he reached into his own bag that he had grabbed when they had gone back to the house a few hours ago to spend time with the dogs and Baby. "But I do have-"

"Yay!" Sakura exclaimed in interruption at the sight of the sour gummy worms. She was soon happily munching on a sour gummy worm, as her eyes went to Shikamaru who was smirking at her. "What?"

"I just haven't seen you that excited since that ice cream we had a couple hours ago." Shikamaru told her.

Sakura grinned back at him. "Yeah well, I probably wasn't nearly as excited as you when you won that game we played after that."

Shikamaru shrugged, as his smirk grew. "What can I say? You're not the only one who can be competitive."

The sound of the fireworks kept Sakura from saying something, as their attention moved forward. They had a perfect view of the huge fireworks show. After a moment, Sakura leaned over and kissed Shikamaru's cheek. "This has been a really fun date."

"It has." Shikamaru agreed, turning his head so he could kiss her. More fireworks caught their attention, and their focus went up to the sky. A wonderful end to an amazing day.

 **The next day, July 5th, 4:30 p.m**

Fanning herself with a magazine, Sakura was trying to cool herself down after being out in the hot air outside. She was currently laying on the floor of the sunroom, with Shadow and Tank at one side, and Baby on her stomach.

"Why are you on the floor?"

At the sound of Shikamaru's voice, Sakura smiled. "Because it's cooler down here."

Footsteps were heard, then Shikamaru joined her on the floor. "I think it is one of the hottest days of the year so far."

Humming, Sakura smirked. "Just my luck with the dress I'll be wearing tonight."

"I'll be right there with you in my tux." Shikamaru agreed, his eyes up on the ceiling.

"You're going to be wearing a tux?"

"Do you honestly think my mom would let me wear anything else?"

"I guess not," Sakura said, dropping the fan back behind her head, as she stretched. "How long is this thing going to be?"

"Uhhh..." Shikamaru trailed off, as he tried to remember the specifics his mom had told him earlier that morning. "It starts at seven, so maybe four or five hours."

Sighing heavily, Sakura propped herself up on her elbows, then looked to him. "I probably need to go get ready then. I still have to shower."

That had Shikamaru raising an eyebrow. "We have around two and a half hours until we have to be there."

"I know, but knowing me, after I get out of the shower, I'm going to lay on my bed in my towel for half an hour," Sakura replied, laughing along with Shikamaru. She leaned over and kissed him. "You can come watch me put on my makeup and do my hair in a little while."

"As fun as that sounds, I think I'll pass," Shikamaru replied, smirking at her. "By the time you get around to that part of the process, I'll probably have to start getting ready myself."

"Probably." Sakura agreed after she laughed. Leaning over, she kissed him, then got up with Baby. Shadow and Tank following right after her.

 **A couple hours later**

"Sakura's running a little bit late."

"That's fine," Yoshino replied, her eyes on her son. "We just needed at least one of you here to make sure everything is good before we start."

Shikamaru had been looking around the huge empty room that, in a half hour, would be full of people. "Yeah she wouldn't have been late if she didn't spend nearly forty-five minutes laying on her bed in a towel," as soon as he said, his eyes widened, and he focused on his parents. "Not that I was in there with her or anything-"

"Sorry," Sakura's voice was heard, then she walked into the big room. "I got distracted again trying to make sure my furbabies wouldn't miss me too much. Oh, this dress was very awkward to wear walking here. I felt like everyone was staring at me."

After Sakura was done speaking it was silent. Shikamaru was indeed staring at her with no shame. He felt almost slightly taken off guard at the sight of her.

Her dress was a lot more fancy than was described. It was a white crop top with gold sparkling detail, it had thinner straps, and racer back style in the back. There was a two inch gap from her top to the skirt of the dress that went all the way to the floor. It had a few layers of sparkly white and gold sparkled tulle on it so it poofed out a bit. Her hair was up in a curly hair do with the same gold headband she wore to the clan brunch a while back.

Sakura recognized the silence, her eyes went from Shikamaru's parents to him. "Okay, I told you I would be a little bit late-"

"I know," Shikamaru interrupted her, finally he took the steps to approach her, and stopped a couple feet away. "You look beautiful."

That made Sakura smile instantly, as she took one of his hands then twirled herself around. "Thank you," she said, as she stopped but her dress flowed around her for a moment before settling. "When I went out and bought it with Hinata and your mom I was all for just getting a plain old dress, but they both said this was the one. And I have to say, I definitely feel like a princess."

"A princess who can kick someone's ass if she needs to." Shikamaru told her, smiling as that made her laugh.

"And you look very handsome in your tux," Sakura told him, eying him up and down. "I'm proud of you for stepping out of the box."

Shikamaru goes "Yeah well one night of torture a year, right?"

"Shikamaru," Yoshino said her tone scolding. However, she smiled as she looked to Sakura. "Now that you're here, I want you to look at a couple things before anyone gets here."

Watching as his mom pulled Sakura away, Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets. His eyes focusing in on Sakura's pink hair, then trailing downwards as she walked away.

"So," Shikaku started, standing next to his son, a smirk on his face. "What exactly is going on between you two?"

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment, as he kept his eyes following Sakura as she and his mom walked around the large room to check things. "I thought you weren't going to say anything."

"Technically I only said that I didn't see anything." Shikaku corrected, thinking back to a few nights ago when he caught the two in the kitchen.

Once again Shikamaru was quiet, then he shrugged. "We haven't really talked about it that much to be quite honest. We're just kind of going with the flow, as Sakura likes to say."

"Is that what she wants?" Shikaku asked, an eyebrow raised. "Because I've learned that women don't always want to say what it is they actually want."

"Trust me, I've asked her multiple times if she wanted to talk about it, and she hasn't wanted to," Shikamaru replied, then he crossed his arms. "Which I'm fine with waiting until we're both ready to talk about it. I really just keep asking to make sure she's still okay with waiting."

It was quiet before Shikaku moved to slap a hand down on his son's shoulder. "I knew your mother and I taught you well."

Shaking off his dad's hand, Shikamaru smirked at his dad chuckling. "Yeah, yeah."

 **A few hours later**

"Oh how precious," Midori was gushing, as she had all five of her kids together, and was taking pictures of them. "You're all so dressed up."

"I know," Akio agreed, his hands in his pockets as he looked at their children. "When does that ever happen?"

Their dad's joke had all the siblings snickering, and Midori glaring at her husband.

"Mom are we done taking pictures?" Sakura asked, smoothing the skirt of her poofy dress down. "I think I'm about to go blind from all the flashes."

"Same." Kankuro agreed, holding up his fist, and grinning when Sakura bumped his fist back.

"Your both hilarious," Midori replied, as she sighed and shook her head. Her eyes going to Temari and Sora. "Let's go find Daymon and Amaya to get your pictures with."

"Great." Was heard being simultaneously mumbled from Sora and Temari. Only the other siblings could hear, and they were cracking up laughing as the two walked away with their mom and dad.

Sakura turned to face Gaara and Kankuro. "Well this photoshoot was torture and all, but I need to go grab a drink."

That had Kankuro laughing, and Gaara shaking his head but smiling. "Should I expect you to be drunk the next time I see you?"

"Unfortunately I can't get that lit tonight," Sakura replied, as she sighed heavily. "Apparently part of my responsibility of helping out with this party is to not get wasted during these things."

"Look on the bright side," Kankuro started, a grin on his face. "In a week or so, I'll be coming back to the Leaf village to take care of something. I am staying overnight, so we can go and out and drink until the sun comes up then."

"Sounds like a plan," Sakura said, laughing along with Kankuro at Gaara shaking his head. Her eyes caught sight of dark blue hair at the bar, and she started to move. "I'll see you guys around."

Walking straight over to the bar, Sakura ordered some merlot, and her eyes went over to her right. "I need some advice Hinata."

"About?" Hinata started, having already ordered and received her own wine, and sipped at it.

"You know when we talked about this situation that happened at the winery with you know who?" Sakura asked, then she thanked the bartender for her wine.

"You mean that fact that you and Shikamaru kissed?"

Nearly spitting out her first sip of wine, Sakura's eyes went wide. "Can you not say that out loud?"

"How long are you going to keep that a secret? I mean I'm surprised Ino hasn't found out already." Hinata replied, clearly not worried about it like Sakura was.

"That's what I came to ask you about," Sakura said, taking a deep breath, as she brought her wine glass back to her mouth. "I think I want it to be a thing."

Hinata raised an eyebrow, as she studied Sakura in silence. "You and Shikamaru haven't talked about it yet have you?"

"No, but to be fair, usually every time he would bring it up we'd be in the middle of-"

"I don't want to hear about that." Hinata interrupted quickly, her eyes wide.

"Middle of kissing," Sakura said, shaking her head at Hinata's wide-eyed look. "That's all it was."

Hinata released the breath she had been holding then. "Okay, so you two clearly have something going on. Why don't you just talk about it now that you know there is something?"

"That's the thing," Sakura started, as she looked down at her wine glass. "What if I bring it up and he doesn't want to?"

"That's your anxiety talking," Hinata replied, as she finished off her wine glass. "Look Sakura, I honestly think you just need to push the anxiety to the side and go talk to him. I can see it when I'm around you two. Your feelings are not one-sided."

Hearing Hinata confirm that made Sakura sigh heavily, as she watched Hinata turn to walk away. Now alone, she finished her wine and then focused on the crowd of people. Searching through the crowd until her eyes landed on Shikamaru where he was with all of their friends.

After a minute or so, Shikamaru's eyes had moved to meet hers. He held her gaze for a moment, then started towards her.

At him approaching her, Sakura felt a mental war in her head at the thought of what she was going to say to him.

Shikamaru reached her, and stopped in front of her. "We ended up getting separated fairly quickly."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, as she tucked a lose curl behind her ear, then proceeded to fidget with the skirt of her dress. "It's been what? Two hours since we last saw each other?"

Noticing a strange tone in Sakura's voice, as well as her fidgeting, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You look like you either just had a whole lot of sugar, or some cocaine."

That actually made Sakura laugh, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Well I mean I don't think your mother would approve of the last one. What a way to end the party."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Yeah… Do you want to dance?"

Sakura just hummed, her heart racing as she nodded. Numbly feeling Shikamaru take her hand, and guide her over where other people were dancing.

Shikamaru turned to face her, and brought his hands comfortably to her waist. At how close they were, he noticed through Sakura's eyes that her focus was elsewhere. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Uh..." Sakura trailed off, as they started slow dancing. "Yeah actually. But because I have this annoying thing called anxiety, my mind is practically splitting in half on whether or not I should say something or keep it to myself. I honestly don't even know why I can't just simply say it like a normal person instead of stress out over it. I mean really, who even does that? It's just the two of us. I-"

"Sakura," Shikamaru interrupted her, a smirk on his face. "You're rambling. Just take a deep breath, and just say what you need to say. Like you said, it's just the two of us."

Sakura was quiet for a long moment, as she held his eyes. "I want to talk about this-us. I want to talk about us."

That made Shikamaru chuckle. "You had that much anxiety over that?"

"Okay, can we not make fun of my anxiety issues? I clearly have no control over them." Sakura replied, rolling her eyes at his laughter. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"Sakura I'm fine with talking about us. You know I am," Shikamaru said, meeting her eyes again. "I've just been waiting for you to feel ready."

"Oh right..." Sakura trailed off for a moment. "Well I mean I didn't really think I'd get this far, so this is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

Shikamaru smirked at that. "Well I think we both know that something has been going on between us. Maybe even longer than the winery."

"Oh definitely before the winery." Sakura replied, then her jaw dropped at her airhead self just outright admitting that.

Seeing the clear shock on Sakura's face at her words, Shikamaru had to hold back laughter. "Alright, so that makes me feel better admitting that I think so too."

It felt comforting to hear it wasn't just her, and Sakura sighed a breath of relief. "Okay, so we recognize that something is happening between us. Something that's been building up over time. Where do we go from here?"

Shikamaru didn't say anything in response at first, as he stopped their dancing. One of his hands moved to her cheek, as he stepped closer. "Where do you want to go?"

Focusing in on Shikamaru's eyes, everything around Sakura faded away. The people, the music, the chatter. It felt it was just the two of them. That made the fluttering feeling of excitement inside of her much more noticeable, and it brought a smile on her face. Without any more thought, she moved the rest of the way to him, and kissed him. Right there, in the middle of the ball, and with their friends and family not that far away. When they broke apart, she took a breath. "I want to be here with you."

"Well alright then." Was all Shikamaru said, before bringing his lips back to hers. After all this time, taking this moment of sweet serendipity was well worth the wait.

 **A/N: And there we have it! The last chapter of Sweet Serendipity. I was really looking forward to writing this chapter, as I knew this is where I wanted all the magic fun stuff to happen. I really enjoyed writing their date scenes, and the very last scene. Let me know what your favorite part of this chapter, and the whole story was.**

 **I do have a sequel in the works, and be sure to follow me on all my social media and my blog for updates on when I will be starting the sequel. And be sure to follow me on here for the update on when the first chapter of the sequel comes out! Thank you all for reading!**

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